All Angel No Wings
by Axelrocks
Summary: Taking a tumble down a ravine and shooting himself with his crossbow, was the last thing Daryl Dixon wanted to do while out hunting. But despite it all, he comes face to face with an angel. AU. Caryl. No ZA.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, all! Yes, this is a new story from me. This is the _last_ thing I need right now with school and the like, but I've been dying to get this up and I figured since I finished _Ashes_ I could post another story to take its place. At this point, I have no idea how long this will be. It may be a few chapters or it might be several. All I know is that this idea has been plaguing me for awhile. So, I hope you all enjoy this and I apologize for the slow beginning, but I needed to set it up a bit! **

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

The linoleum was cracked and stained underneath his boots, some of it even curling up to expose the disgusting black glue underneath. The artificial lighting cast everything in an unattractive yellow light and even made some of the packaged goods on the shelves look unappealing. The convenience store was barely any better than a dump, but it was the closest one to his home and he needed some snacks for his hunting trip in the morning.

The man behind the character eyed him with a look that told him he needed to hurry the fuck up. No one else was in the store and Daryl was sure the cashier wanted to get back to the skin mag he'd quickly hidden under the counter when Daryl walked in.

Grabbing a couple bags of chips and a package of sour gummy worms, which were secretly his favorite, Daryl walked over to the refrigerated section of the store and grabbed a few water bottles. Knowing how brutal the heat could be this time of month, he knew he'd have to keep himself constantly hydrated. The couple of times Merle had gone with him on a hunt, he'd thought it would be fine to bring beer along. Daryl had wound up lugging his older brother home after he had passed out from dehydration. The stupid asshole. Never thought about anyone else, except himself.

The bells above the door jiggled and Daryl straightened to look to see who had entered. Not that he cared, just curious. The goods in his arms nearly crashed to the ground when he saw that it was a woman, a very pretty woman. Even the ugly, yellow lighting couldn't hinder her attractiveness. The auburn curls that fell to her shoulders bounced as she walked and her eyes were a pale, beautiful blue. What was she doing in a place like this?

The cashier, instead of looking even more irritable at possibly being delayed from his magazine even longer, gave the woman a sleazy grin and even greeted her as she walked by, eyes glued to her chest and when she walked past, moved to her ass.

Flashing a wide smile, the woman greeted him back. The smile, however, caused Daryl's gaze to remain glued to her even more. Despite the wideness of the smile and the cheerful way she had spoken to the clerk, there was a sadness behind it. Looking up to see her eyes, he saw that the skin underneath them hadn't crinkled in mirth but remained smooth and miserable.

"Excuse me?" For the second time in the matter of minutes, he nearly dropped everything in his hands. The woman had stopped in front of him and he wondered if she was coming to tell him off for staring like a creep. He would have deserved it.

"Yeah?" he asked, awkwardly and shifted in place. She was so close he could smell her perfume. It smelled citrusy. Like grapefruit. Whatever it was, the smell was now Dary's favorite.

"Can I get past you for a second?" The sad smile flashed again. "I just want to grab a water."

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry." Daryl side-stepped and nearly tripped over his feet in the process. Normally, he was sure-footed but in the presence of this woman he felt like a newborn foal learning to walk for the first time.

"Thank you." She opened the glass door, bent to grab a bottle and flashed him another smile before walking up to the counter to pay. Daryl could only watch as she handed over the money for her water and left the store.

"Hey, buddy!" The clerk finally called after him. "You going to check out or what? I ain't got all night." When Daryl unloaded the foodstuffs on the counter, the man went about scanning each one and smirked at him. "That sure was a mighty fine piece of ass, wasn't it?"

For some reason, this angered Daryl. How dare this man degrade the angel that had walked through those doors?

Whoa, angel? Since when did he think like that? Since never, that's when. God, Merle would have his ass if he'd ever found out.

When everything was paid, bagged and handed to him, Daryl took his purchases without a word and sent the man a glare before leaving the store. He hoped that maybe the woman had stuck around after making her purchase, but was disappointed to see that the parking lot was empty, except for his old truck.

Daryl knew that he was never going to see the angel, again.

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><p>Carol's hand shook as she read the text message that had just caused her phone to ping. <em>So stupid!<em> She chided herself. She should have changed the damn number. That way she would have never had to read a message from _him, _ever again_._ Quickly, Carol shut off her phone and slid the device away from her but the words were burned into the backs her eyelids. Every time she closed her eyes, they were there. Taunting.

_ You can run. You can hide. But in the end, I will always find you..._

God, she wanted to cry. That's how she felt _all_ the time, now. She couldn't even do the things she enjoyed without thinking about _him_ and what he would do to her if she were found. And Ed would find her, too. This was the third place Carol hidden herself away in. The other two places had been living with a friend and with a cousin. Now, she was on her own and totally defenseless if Ed were to show up at her front door.

Actually that wasn't true. She wasn't completely defenseless. In her underwear drawer, she hid a 9mm, but having the weapon and actually using it were two different things. Carol had never shot a gun in her life and hoped that would always be the case.

Looking out the kitchen window of her small house, Carol saw that it was getting dark and that she should lock up. Living in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a forest of trees had its advantages, but it got awfully spooky at night. Most nights, she wished someone else was in the house with her. Someone to keep her company but the less people she talked to in town the less of a chance Ed had of finding her here.

Carol was willing to live a life of solitude as long as Ed Peletier never showed up in it.

**A ****Month Later**

It had been a month and Daryl still no sighting of the woman from the convenience. She had probably just been passing through the rinky dink town on her way to bigger and better things. No woman like _that_ stuck around long here.

The town was so small it could barely be called a town and didn't show up on any maps. There was only one grocery store, the convenience store, a bar and an old stone church who's congregation held only about thirty people. Despite the size, Daryl didn't mind it here. It was small and most everyone kept to themselves, just as he liked it.

Merle had dragged them there six years ago when he had gotten discharged from the army and collected his little brother from their pa's house. It had been three years since Merle had last stepped foot in town and that was because he was locked up at the nearest county jail for drug possession. He still had two years of his sentence left and Daryl had mixed feeling about sharing his space with his older brother again. He liked being on his own. True, it could get lonely once in awhile but for the most part, Daryl liked his seclusion from everyone.

The woman, _his angel_, which he had gone about calling her in his head plagued his mind constantly even though he had only laid eyes on her for all of two minutes. Daryl wasn't one to entertain romantic notions in his head. Hell, at twenty-four, he'd never had a woman. When Merle was around, he had tried, he really had, but he quickly found out he had no game and sleeping with a bunch of bar whores wasn't worth it, anyways.

Merle would call him a pussy, but Daryl was going to be in it for the long haul if he were to ever get in a relationship. He wouldn't go as far as saying he wanted a picket fence, a dog and a bunch of kids. If it was meant to be, Daryl wanted a woman that would love him despite all of his faults, because he knew that once he fell in love, that was it. No other woman would be it for him.

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><p><strong>Thoughts? Do you all want more?<strong>

**Thank you all for reading and giving this a chance!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I didn't want to post for this so soon because I wanted to get some of my other stories out of the way, but I just couldn't resist! Thank you all for the reviews! :) They made me want to write for this story more than my other ones! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

The sun still had not made a full appearance over the horizon and Daryl already had a belt full of kills. Fall was coming to an end and with it, so would most of the game he hunted. His freezer was half full at home, enough to feed through most of the winter, but a few more pounds of meat wouldn't hurt. That way he would have some to spare for company.

Daryl couldn't help but snort at that. "Yeah, right." No one knew him much in town and that was how he liked it. Sure, there were the guys he worked with at the garage a town over, but he wouldn't call them his friends. More like acquaintances. They had gone out for a beers a few times, but that was about it. Besides, they were the kind of men Merle would hang around with and Daryl didn't want any part of that.

Something moved out of the corner of his eye. Daryl turned, crossbow raised, just in time to see a deer disappear further into the woods. "Shit," he muttered. Snagging a deer would be the perfect conclusion to his hunting trip.

With a sigh, he started to stalk in the direction the deer had ran off in and hoped that he'd be able to track it before the sun got too high and it went into hiding.

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><p>Carol found herself sitting at the dining room table and staring out the bay window looking into her yard. The window was her favorite place in the house. It was large and when the sun rose it shone right through the glass and to her table. In front of it sat some cushions, which she laid when while reading a book most days.<p>

It was early morning, the sun was barely up, and normally she would still be asleep. But nightmares had plagued her sleep and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fall back asleep. So, making herself a coffee, she sat down at the table and got lost in her thoughts.

_ If I were a teacher, I would be getting up this early every day,_ she thought to herself. At twenty-three, she would have finished her schooling and would have had her own classroom back in her hometown by now. However, that had all went out the window the moment she had met Ed. At first, he had been fine with her going to school, but during the first few months of their marriage, he had convinced her to quit. Claiming that he would work for the both of them. If only she had known, he had only done it so that she would be cut off from her friends.

Ed had ruined her life, but she had been the stupid one to let him do it.

The phone beside her chimed with a text and she froze, coffee cup halfway to her lips. She knew _exactly_ who it was. No one ever texted her, anymore, except for _him._ Changing her number would have been the smart thing to do, but this way she could monitor him and know if he was close to locating her. It was like a double-edged sword, though. It was a way of keeping track of him, but Carol knew that one of these days she would get a text that would say three little letters.

_ I found you._

With those words, Carol wouldn't know what to do. There was nowhere else for her to go. If Ed could find her in the middle of nowhere, then he would be able to find her _anywhere._

She set down her coffee cup and reached for the phone. Unlocking it, she said a quick prayer and looked down at the new message.

_ Where, oh where, has my little Carol gone?__ Where, oh where, can she be?_

The phone clattered to the table. What kind of sick man had she married?

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><p>Daryl had tracked the deer to a ravine. A pretty steep one, too. The beast hadn't gone down it. Probably would have broken its neck if it tried.<p>

"Where the fuck did it go?" He muttered to himself and kept his eyes sharp and alert. Normally, it wouldn't have taken him this long to track an animal, but this bastard was smart. It was somehow staying one-step ahead of him.

"I'm goin' to cook your sorry ass, first," he grumbled. "I'm goin' to grill and slather you with spices, you little fucker." Talking to himself was a normal occurrence when he was out hunting. "I bet you'll taste fuckin' delicious."

Something rustled in the bushes behind him and he turned around furiously, ready to let one of his bolts fly. A small creature ran out from one of the bushes, chattered at him angrily and jumped onto the nearest tree trunk.

"Fuckin' squirrels. Lucky I already have a few of your friends on my belt or you'd be my next kill."

Daryl knew he should have been paying better attention to his surroundings, but the ever-evasive deer was frustrating him. If he had been keeping a constant vigil, then he would have seen the snake he nearly stepped on. However, he hadn't and the rattle was the only thing that warned him of its presence. He looked down just as it stuck. Turning his body, Daryl narrowly missed the thing's fangs. The ground didn't come up to meet him and with a shout, he found himself tumbling down the ravine.

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><p>After receiving the text from Ed, Carol turned off her phone and threw it into the nearest drawer. Out of sight, out of mind, she told herself. To further get Ed off her mind, she decided that she would do a little work on her garden. It had been a couple days since she tended to the plants and they were sure to be feeling neglected.<p>

Walking into her mudroom, which was just off the kitchen, she slipped her feet into a pair of boots and grabbed her mint green gardening gloves. Before walking out the door, she pulled her auburn curls into a ponytail, knowing that it would get bothersome the moment she kneeled down to work in the dirt.

Carol's garden was located in the far corner of her yard. It was the only place that got enough sun to have a garden. It did, however, set close to the lurking woods that surrounded her property, but Carol made sure to never put her back to the looming trees.

The only thing growing in the garden at the moment was some flowers and a mint plant. Carol loved the smell of the mint and also liked to pick the leaves to make tea with. Sinking to her knees, she saw that there were a few weeds that needed taken care of. She hated weeding, but with a garden, it something that had to be done.

The moment her hands sunk into the soil, a loud yell coming from the woods startled her. It was a man's yell. Carol jerked her head to the woods and didn't see anything. The yell didn't sound like any words, but it was almost like someone calling for...help? Could someone need help out there? She reached over and clutched a trowel in her hand. Should she go and investigate?

What if this man intended to do her harm? Couldn't she risk that? Ed had caused her to become paranoid. But what if this man really needed her help? What if he was dying?

Finally, she made her decision and...raced inside. She threw her gloves as she passed through her mudroom and went straight to her room to grab the gun from her underwear drawer. If this man, if she found him, intended to hurt her in someway, she would be prepared. Not that she ever shot anyone before, or even entertained the thought. She just had to believe that if her life was in danger, she would do whatever it took to stay alive.

Clutching her gun in one hand, Carol walked back outside and stared into the woods. Not once had she stepped foot in them since she moved there. They'd always intimidated her. Now, she was going in them, armed with her gun. Someone was out there and they needed her help.

With a deep breath, she started to walk though the trees.

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><p>Daryl didn't know how long he lay at the bottom of the ravine, unconscious. When he did come to, there was a searing pain in his side and a throbbing in his head. Looking down to the where the pain in his side was coming from, he saw, with horror, that there was a bolt sticking out from his hip.<p>

Well, fuck.

Somehow, in his tumble down the steep ravine, he had shot himself with his own bolt. With a sigh of defeat, Daryl let his head thunk back on the ground. How the hell was he supposed to climb up the ravine with an arrow in his side?

_ "Come on, Darylina. You should know better than that."_ A familiar voice came to him.

"Great," he mumbled. "Now, I'm hearin' my damn brother." At that moment, Merle walked in front of him, smirking. Like always. "And now, I'm seein' him."

"Well," Merle squatted near him. "Looks like your ass has a concussion and you're bleeding like a stuck pig."

"Thanks, genius."

"You need to bind the wound, baby brother. Didn't I teach you that shit?" Merle pressed a finger to Daryl's side and Daryl hissed in pain.

"Fuckin' stop."

"Get up, then. Come on," Merle stood and kicked him in the leg. "Come on, get up."

With his last ounce of strength, Daryl sat up. Ignoring the pain in his side, he looked around to see that Merle was gone. God, he was going fucking crazy.

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><p>Carol had no idea where to look. The shout had come from the woods, but she had no idea where. The only thing that was out there were the squirrels and the occasional rabbit.<p>

"This was a bad idea," she whispered to herself. Maybe the yell had been all in her imagination.

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><p>Daryl shrugged off the long sleeve shirt he wore; he tied it tightly around the wound and hoped it stopped the flow of bed. Bending down, he grabbed his string of squirrels, threw them over his shoulder and moved to attack the difficult task of climbing the ravine.<p>

However, he didn't get far before he grabbed a branch that didn't support his weight and he was tumbling down the ravine. Again.

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><p>Carol heard another yell and her pace quickened. This time it sounded close. Incredibly close. If she was more surefooted, then she would have taken off running, but knowing her, she would trip over a wayward root or branch. Whoever was in need would have to wait until she reached them, unscathed.<p>

Surprisingly, it didn't take her long to come to the source of the yell. Or what she thought the source was. She found herself at the top of a ravine and down below, she saw a man sprawled at the bottom. Unconscious.

"Oh my God!" Carol cried and covered a gasp with her hand. Was he dead? There was only one way to find out and that meant she had to somehow climb down the ravine. She'd climbed trees before, this wouldn't be any different. Right?

"This was such a bad idea." Even as she said the words, she found herself walking towards the edge of the ravine. She stuffed the gun in her pants and carefully began to make her way down to the man. It was a miracle she didn't slip and share the same fate as him. It was most likely because of the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

"Hold on!" She called down to him, knowing that he probably couldn't hear. "I'm coming!"

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><p>Daryl groaned when someone started to shake him. The pain, this time, was almost unbearable and all he wanted to do was keep his eyes shut. Hoping that it would help shut out some of the pain.<br>Unfortunately, the shaking was persistent.

"Fuck, Merle, I'm gettin' up!" However, this time, when he opened his eyes, he was not greeted with the sight of his brother. Kneeling above him was an angel.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**And this is where Daryl starts to get a little OOC. I hope it's okay with you all and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's my favorite so far! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

This was all another hallucination. It had to be. There was no way his angel from the convenience store could be here. She was long gone, living her life somewhere far away. Somewhere he had no business of ever being.

"Oh, God, there's so much blood!" Her voice sounded panicked and pressure was placed on his side. Daryl couldn't help but wince at the pain.

"I'm so sorry!" She cried. She even looked to be near tears. Definitely a dream, then. No one would cry over him. Ever.

"You're an angel, ain't you?" His voice came out raspy and he lifted a hand to brush the one she had still pressed to his wound, weakly.

"N-No, I'm not." Beautiful, auburn curls framed her face and pale, blue eyes shone with unshed tears. The sun shone from behind and gave her an ethereal glow. A glow worthy of an angel.

"Course you are." One side of his mouth quirked up in a semi-smile. "You are too beautiful to _not_ be an angel."

Red bloomed across her cheeks. Hell, she even blushed prettily.

"You've got a concussion. You're not thinking straight."

"I am thinkin' straight, and you're fuckin' beautiful." His mind and vision were getting hazy, now, and he was finding it hard to focus. Black spots sprouted in his vision and Daryl found himself fighting to stay conscious.

What if he closed his eyes and his angel disappeared?

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><p>Carol was surprised at how agile she was as she descended down the ravine. Normally, she could be quite the klutz. Maybe it was because someone's life could be in danger. The man hadn't moved since Carol had first spotted him, and that worried her. What if she was too late? A fall, like the one he took, could have easily killed him.<p>

Finally, Carol reached the bottom and ran to where the man laid. When she saw the rise and fall of his chest, she let out a large sigh of relief. "Thank God," she breathed. "He's still alive."

However, there was a lot of blood. And...and was that an arrow sticking from his side?

Carol felt like fainting.

No! She clutched her fists, hard. This man needed her help and she wouldn't be much if she were unconscious, too.

Kneeling beside the man's prone body, she started to shake him, hoping that it would help to somehow regain consciousness. The shaking probably wasn't a good idea, since she didn't know the full extent of his injuries, but when he started to groan, she knew it had worked.

His eyes started to flutter, for which Carol was glad, because if he didn't wake up, she had no idea what to do with him. There was no way she would have been able to carry him up the ravine by herself.

"Fuck, Merle!" His hand swatted out weakly and missed her. His eyes opened, then, and Carol marveled at the color. They were a cobalt blue, a color she had never seen on a man. Ed's had been mud brown and soulless. Despite just coming back from being unconsciousness, Carol could see a fire burning in the man's blue irises.

On further inspection of the man's features, Carol thought he looked vaguely familiar. Had they met before?

Even bloody and semi-conscious, he was handsome. Very handsome. And strong, too, if the size of his biceps had anything to say about it.

Carol wanted to touch them, but the man needed to be helped, not molested.

Looking down, she saw the wound in his side was trickling blood. There was a small puddle of forming on the dirt below.

"Oh, God, there's so much blood!" She pressed on the wound, some of her first-aid training coming back to her. The man winced away, hissing in pain.

"I'm so sorry!" Tears pricked her eyes as she started to feel helpless. This man was in pain and there was nothing she could do about it.

He opened his mouth to say something and she was sure it was to tell her to get the hell away from him, but instead, his words shocked her. Had he just called her an angel? He was definitely seeing things. The pain was probably messing with his brain. She was no angel, by any means. Her hair was frazzled around her face, sticking in places where she was sweating and she was covered in dirt. Definitely not angel material. He must have her mistaken for someone else.

"N-No, I'm not."

"Course you are." Half his mouth quirked up in a smile, which made him look even better-looking. "You're too beautiful to _not _be an angel."

Carol felt her face heat up and she wanted to cower behind her hands. "You've got a concussion. You're not thinking straight."

"I am thinkin' straight. You're fuckin' beautiful."

Carol couldn't believe the words spilling from his mouth. No one had ever called her beautiful. Not even Ed in the two years they had been married. In fact, he had said the opposite to her so many times that she started to believe that she wasn't something to look at.

She opened her mouth to say something about him obviously not thinking straight, again, but saw that his eyes were starting to lose focus.

He was starting to lose consciousness.

Carol shook him hard and his eyes jerked open. She couldn't help but smirk.

"We have to get you out of here," she said. "Do you think if I helped you to your feet, you'll be able to walk?"

"Course. I'mma Dixon. We're some tough sons of bitches." Without help, he sat up. The action must have caused him a considerable amount of pain because he made a face and nearly, toppled to his back. Carol stopped him with an arm around his shoulders before that could happen.

"I got you."

"Can you get on the other side?" He asked, wincing when he tried to lift up his left arm to wrap around her waist. The wound at his side pulled painfully tight as he tried. "Can't lift my arm that high and I'm goin' to need help standin'."

"Oh, of course!" Carol carefully unslung her arm from his shoulders and moved to the other side. With a grunt, the man wrapped an arm around her shoulders and together, they struggled to stand. The man swayed a bit once he was fully standing, but Carol steadied him.

"Now, that was the easy part." The pair turned to face the looming ravine. "That is goin' to be a bitch to climb."

The man's arm tightened around Carol. "At least, I got you to lean on, angel."

Carol couldn't help but smile. "Not sure how much help I'll be, but let's do this."

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><p>It was slow going. Daryl didn't want to rely too heavily on his angel. In fact, he attempted to climb the ravine without her assistance.<p>

"Are you sure?" She had asked, blue eyes looking at him with concern.

"Yeah, I got this," he said with way more confidence than he felt. It was miracle he could put one foot in front of the other without falling on his ass.

"At least let me carry your crossbow."

Daryl couldn't help but turn to face her in shock. He was surprised that she actually knew what his weapon was called, and, even though, he never allowed anyone to touch it, even Merle, he found himself sliding the bow from his shoulder and handing it to her.

She beamed and gently took the weapon before sliding it over her own shoulder. Daryl's mouth went dry at the sight.

"Something wrong? Am I not holding it right?" She tilted her head slightly as she asked, waiting for him to speak. Daryl felt his face grow warm when he realized that he had been just standing there, staring.

"Naw, you're holdin' it just fine." _Better than fine, actually. _"But I was wonderin' if you were goin' to say behind me the whole time?"

"Yep. That way if you look like you're going to fall, I'll be there to catch you."

"Uh, you sure about that? My ass would probably crush you if I fell."

She just smiled and didn't look bothered at the possibility of being crushed. "Well, then, I guess that means don't fall."

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><p>Daryl wanted to kiss the ground once they reached the top of the ravine, but knew he wouldn't be able to get back up if he did. The wound in his side, where the arrow still sat, was pulled tight and now, that the adrenaline from the climb was starting to wear off, the pain was becoming a constant stabbing and was borderline unbearable. However, he kept his face neutral so that his angel would not know of his pain.<p>

"Thank God, we finally made it!" Daryl turned to see her bending at the waist and taking in deep breaths. Her curly, auburn hair obscured her face as she bent over, but when she looked up, her pretty face was in full view and she smiled. "I think it was much easier going down than it was coming up."

"Hell yeah," he said through pain laced, deep breaths.

The woman straightened and adjusted the strap on her shoulder.

"Do you want me to take that back?" He asked and gestured to his crossbow. "It's pretty heavy."

"No, I got it. You shouldn't be carrying it, anyway." She walked up to him and slipped under his right arm to give him some support. "Come on. Let's get you back to my place and then, I'll drive you to the hospital."

"No," he jerked away from her. "No hospitals. I can take care of myself. Just give me a needle and thread and I'll have my side as good as new." Hospitals asked questions and Daryl didn't want to have to explain how he had gotten one of his own bolts in his side.

"But you have to go!" She protested and planted her hands on her hips. A pretty red flush appeared on her cheeks.

"I've gotten worse," he lied. "I can take care of this, easily."

His angel gave him a skeptical look. "Fine," she reluctantly agreed. "No hospitals. But," she punctuated the word with a finger pointed in his face. "If something happens and _I_ think you need to go, then you're going, mister."

Daryl couldn't help but smirk at the expression on her face. She was dead serious. "All right, all right." He held up his right hand, while keeping the left one to his injured side. "If things get bad, I suppose you can take my ass to the hospitals."

"Wasn't asking your permission." She slipped back into her spot at his side. "I was just telling you that was going to happen. Now, lets get you out these woods before it gets dark."

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><p>Carol was so relieved when her home finally came into view. It hadn't been a long walk, but it seemed like for every ten steps they took, the injured man at her side leaned more and more heavily on her. Not that Carol, minded. He <em>was<em> injured, after all, but she doubted she'd be able to support his full weight and it felt like it was getting dangerously close to that point.

"How are you holding up?" She asked and looked up at him. His hair was sticking to his forehead with sweat and his eyes looked feverish. Carol was alarmed. He had looked just fine a few minutes ago.

"I'd like to say good, but my side is hurtin' like hell."

"All right. Once we get inside, I'll lie you down and give you some pain killers. That should help."

The man looked like he was about to protest, but shook his head, instead. "Sounds good."

"We probably should get that arrow out before you lie down. Right?" She peered around to his injured side and winced when she saw the blood-soaked shirt that was bound against the arrow.

"That would probably help. Goin' to hurt like a bitch, though."

"I could give you the pain killers before you pull it out and maybe, that will help with the pain."

Together they limped to the house and the man detached himself from Carol to lean against the wall beside the back door. "Naw. Let's jus' get this over with. Like rippin' off a band-aid."

"Pretty sure it's going to hurt more than a band-aid," Carol mumbled.

"Don't remind me." The man grunted and slowly undid the shirt that had bound the wood tightly. The garment slipped from his waist to the dirty with a plop. Carol winced at the amount of blood.

"Do you-Do you want me to pull it out for you?"

The man fixed her with a look. "Do you think you could?"

Carol looked at the arrow, embedded into his flesh and glanced back up at him. "Um. No." She knew she'd probably pass out if she had to.

"That's what I thought." He turned back to the wound wrapped both hands around the shaft of the arrow and began to pull. Carol felt dizzy as she watched and had to turn around, unless she pass out at his feet. She heard the man hiss and curse and pain, and then, there was a squelching sound that nearly made her gag.

"Got it."

Carol turned to see him holding up the bloody bolt with a triumphant grin. However, the blood seeping from his side caught her attention the most.

"Come on. We got to get you inside to take care of that. Now." She grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door to her house.

* * *

><p>Daryl sat shirtless on top of the porcelain sink in his angel's bathroom. The wound in his side was bleeding freely, now, and staining his green khakis. She opened the cupboard above the sink and produced a bottle of pills.<p>

"I got these when I broke my ankle awhile ago. They're really strong and they'll definitely help with the pain." She shook out two into his hand and gave him a glass of water to drink them with.

"Thank you." He handed back the glass. "Now, if you give me some thread and a needle, I can get to work on stitchin' myself up."

"Let me do it."

"What?" His eyes narrowed at her.

"I said, let me do it. It's going to be hard since it's at an odd angle and I took a first-aid class and they taught us how to do basic stitches." She sank to her knees in front of him(which caused him to gulp and force his thoughts elsewhere) and dug underneath the sink. She came back up with a cloth and some rubbing alcohol.

"I have to clean it up, though, and this is going to sting."

The pain killers were starting to kick in and Daryl felt his brain start to go fuzzy. They must have been extra-strength.

"Do-Do want you need to, angel." His words were slurred and he was starting to feel slightly drunk.

"My name is Carol." The woman smiled. "Not angel."

"But you _are _an angel." His side began to burn, then and he yelped.

"Sorry," Carol apologized and continued to clean his wound. "So, what's your name?"

"Daryl. Daryl Dixon." She didn't look like she recognized the name, which was a good thing. The Dixon reputation hadn't reached her ears. Even though, it was really his brother's reputation, not his.

"All right, Daryl, are you ready for the stitches."

"Yep." He nodded several times. His head felt _very_ light.

"Looks like the pills are working." Carol smiled. She took a seat on the toilet, which gave her a better view at the wound in his side. "They made me really loopy when I took them. I didn't like it, so I stopped taking them. That's why there's so many in the bottle."

"Don't think I can feel my face." He brought his hand up and pinched his cheek. Nothing.

"Good," she said. "So, that means you won't feel this."

He felt an odd pulling sensation in his side and he looked down to see Carol carefully threading a needle through his skin. She was right, he didn't feel a thing.

* * *

><p>Carol finished stitching up Daryl's wound with a proud smile. She looked up at her patient and saw that his head rested on the mirror behind him and he was snoring softly. Carol decided to take that moment to look him over.<p>

Daryl was even handsomer shirtless. He wasn't built like a gym rat but there was definitely some muscle tone, there, and his shoulders...God, they were broad. As she scanned the expanse of his skin, her eyes fell on a long thick scar that slashed across his collarbone. Where had he gotten it? She was about to reach out to trace it with her fingers when he jerked awake. He turned blurry, blue eyes on her.

"Angel?"

"Carol," she corrected.

"Angel Carol?" He scooted to the edge of the sink and slid to feet. He almost fell over, but Carol caught him. "Can I lie down? I'm tired."

"Of course. I'll take you to my bed." She slipped to his uninjured side and he put most of his weight on her shoulders.

"Will you be in bed with me?"

"Um." Her cheeks felt hot. "No."

"Why not?" He turned pleading eyes to her. "I want you there."

"I can't. I'll probably hurt your side more, if I do." The excuse sounded lame, but she didn't know what else to say. They hardly knew one another and he wanted to sleep in the same bed as her. It had to be the painkillers talking.

"Fine," he pouted. Carol thought he looked adorable. "But will you be there when I wake up?"

"Of course!" She smiled.

They made their way to Carol's bedroom, which was thankfully only a door down from the bathroom. As gently as she could, Carol laid Daryl down on her bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. It looked like he had fallen asleep the moment he hit the mattress, but when she turned to leave, his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Carol," he said, softly. Her heart jumped at how her name sounded in his voice. "Carol," he said, again.

"Yes, Daryl."

"My angel." His eyes looked impossibly clear as he started into her own. "Will you marry me?"

* * *

><p><strong>I was SUPER nervous to post this and I hope it wasn't too OOC for you. Daryl <em>was<em> on painkillers for the last half. However, I do plan on having him be a little out of character in this story. Hope that doesn't bother anyone!**

**I've also just gotten a tumblr, my name is axelrocks92. I probably won't post much on it since I'm lame, but if you follow me, I'll follow you! Especially if you have Caryl on your blog! :)**

**Thank you so much for giving this story a chance and reading it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I was blown away by the response to the last chapter and I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed it. It really means a lot to me that people are enjoying this! Well, here's the next chapter and it's not as long as the last one, but it moves the story along more. Hope you all enjoy it! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

Daryl's thumb was caressing the pulse point in her wrist and if she hadn't been stunned frozen with his unexpected proposal, she would have marveled at how good his touch felt. It had been a _long_ time since a man had been soft with her.

"You can't be serious, Daryl," Carol finally said to his question. "It's the painkillers that are talking. I said some pretty crazy stuff when I was on them."

"I'm serious, Carol, and this isn't crazy. Will you marry me?"

The words rendered Carol speechless, once again. There was no way he could be serious. It all had to be some kind of joke. Someone had to have put him up to all of this. But falling down a ravine and getting an arrow in the side sounded like it would be too much for a prank.

"Carol?" He prompted.

"Listen, Daryl, I'm-" She had to stop when she saw the devastation in his eyes. They had just met. He shouldn't be _that_ upset if she rejected him.

"How about this? You get some rest and in the morning, if you still want to marry me, ask again and I'll give you my answer."

Daryl beamed. The sight stole the breath from Carol's lungs. His smile was absolutely beautiful. Was _he_ the angel?

"This isn't crazy," he repeated his earlier statement. "I am a hundred percent serious and you'll see when I wake up."

Carol didn't know what to think, anymore. Daryl's face hadn't pinched in pain the whole time they'd been talking, so that meant the pain killers were working. However, in the bathroom, he could barely stand with how he reacted to them. Could he really be having a moment of clarity or was this some kind of drug-addled dream?

"Okay." Was all she could say and slipped her wrist from his grasp. "I'll see you in the morning." Quietly, she slipped from the room and shut the door.

* * *

><p>Carol felt like she was wading through water as she walked to her kitchen. The man in her room couldn't be real. She was going to check up on him in the morning and he'd be gone, never having existed. No man in their right mind would propose to someone they had just met. Daryl was probably just grateful that she had helped him. He could probably see how lonely and secluded she was from everyone. He was just feeling sorry for her. That was the only good explanation for his random, unexpected question.<p>

When Ed had proposed, there had been a dinner at a nice restaurant, flowers and a beautiful diamond ring. Carol had never been so happy in her life and burst into tears when she said yes. It didn't matter to her that she was only twenty, still in school and had only known Ed for six months. She was getting married to the man she loved and that was all that mattered.

Thier engagement wasn't long and that summer, they had been married.

Three months into their marriage, Ed hit her for the first time and things went downhill from there. She quit school, stayed in the house more and wished for some way to escape the hell she now lived in.

A year and a half into her marriage, Michonne, a friend from school, had found and visited her while Ed was at work. Carol had poured her heart and soul to the other woman. Michonne hadn't wasted a second and told Carol to pack all of her belongings. That day, Carol left Ed. Michonne helped her get a lawyer and she filed for divorce.

It took him two months to find her while she was living with Michonne. She had seen him drive past through the living room window and that night, she was gone. Her next move had been to stay with a cousin in Atlanta, where she got a job as a secretary for a small law firm. It took Ed a little bit longer to find her, this time, but find her he did.

Fortunately, she had saved up a good amount of money and had been able to buy a small house in the middle of nowhere. This house. Nine months had gone by and no Ed, which was a relief. She was starting to feel safe, again. But she knew that she never would be until Ed was gone for good.

_ Daryl seems like a strong man. He can protect you._

The thought came unbidden to Carol's mind and it shocked her. But the words were true. Daryl may be held up in bed, loopy with painkillers and stitches in his side, but he had survived falling down a ravine _twice_ and had been shot with an arrow. If anyone could protect Carol from Ed, it would be him.

And he had offered a way that he could protect her, even though she doubted that was why he had asked...

Carol sighed and laid her head on the wooden table. "I can't believe I'm thinking about saying yes to him." Daryl was handsome and from what she could tell, a bit rough around the edges. But he had a tender nature about him. Especially when he looked at her...

Just then, her phone peeped with a new message. Carol tensed, knowing exactly who it was. She stood and retrieved the device from the drawer she had shoved it in earlier and mentally prepared herself for what it would say.

_ I'm tired of this cat and mouse game, Carol. When I find you, again, you _will_ regret it._

With that message, Carol had her answer.

* * *

><p>Daryl woke up the next morning with a searing pain in his side and no recollection of where he was. The bed was much softer than the one he had at home and smelled nicer, too.<p>

_ Carol._

With that name, everything came back. He remembered falling down the ravine, _twice_, the bolt in his side, Carol coming to his rescue and stitching him up. He even remembered some moments after taking the painkillers she offered.

He froze. "Shit." He couldn't believe he had asked Carol _that._ She probably thought he was fucking crazy, now, and couldn't wait to get him out of her house. "Shit," he said, again. He really fucked this up. He was hoping that after this whole ordeal, he'd ask to get to know her better. Maybe date her, but now, he had gone and ruined it.

"Daryl?" Someone knocked softly on the door. "Are you up?"

"Yeah," his voice sounded raspy with sleep and he winced at the harshness of it.

Carol walked in, then, with a tray full of food. "I figured you would be hungry." She smiled when she saw that he was sitting up in bed and Daryl didn't know if he should consider that a good sign.

"I am kind of hungry." He sat up more to press his back against the headboard and winced when the action caused his side to pull tight. Carol placed the tray on the night table and was at his side, grasping his hand.

"Do you want me to get some more medicine to help with the pain?"

Daryl remembered what had happened the last time he had taken the medicine and no matter how bad the pain got, he decided he would never take another pill. "Naw, I'm fine. Really."

"Okay." She didn't look convinced, but handed him the tray, anyway.

It held a plate full of eggs, bacon, toast and even a glass of orange juice. His mouth watered. He couldn't remember the last time he had a breakfast like this. Immediately, he dug in and Carol watched with an amused smile.

"Sorry," he mumbled and slowed. "Eatin' like a damn animal."

"No, you're fine. I don't mind at all."

Daryl ate slower, anyways.

When he was finished, Carol took the tray and returned it back to the kitchen. She returned with an unsure look on her face. Daryl wanted to ask what was wrong, but kept his mouth shut.

"Daryl?" She took a seat on the side of the bed. "Do you...Do you remember what you asked me last night?"

His face heated up. "Uh...yeah. Listen, I'm so-"

"Did you mean it?"

"What?" His jaw fell open in shock.

"Did you mean it? Answer me honestly. Please." Her eyes were begging something from him and he wasn't sure what.

"I, uh, um..." Truth was, he had been serious, but did he want to admit that out loud to her and scare her off, even more?

Carol fidgeted in place and refused to look at him. She gnawed on her bottom lip. "What would you do if I said yes?"

* * *

><p><strong>So, what do you all think? I'd love to know!<strong>

**I know I said it would take me awhile to update this story, but I've actually been updating pretty regularly. Unfortunately, I am serious about the next chapter not coming for awhile. School is getting really crazy right now and I really should be focusing on that. (Plus, I have 4 other stories to work on. Oops.). I'll update when I can, but it might not be for awhile! Sorry! :(**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's a kind of short chapter for you guys. I redid it TWICE in hopes of getting it just right and I'm pretty happy with the turnout and once again, it has OOCness in it and that will probably be for all of the chapters and I hope that's okay with you all! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

Daryl was speechless. Was Carol actually considering his proposal? No. No way. It was too good to be true.

"Are-Are you serious?" This couldn't be happening. Daryl knew he had to still be dreaming. Good things didn't happen to the Dixons. Especially good things like Carol.

He kept his eyes on her, eager to hear an answer. If Carol was thinking about marrying him, Daryl knew he would be the happiest man in the world. So, he never took his eyes from her face and watched as she bit her pretty, pink lip before speaking.

"I'm serious, if you were." She picked some nonexistent lint from his covers and peered at him through her eyelashes. The uncertainty in those pale, blue orbs, nearly undid him. "Were you? I-I mean, if you weren't, then forg-" Daryl grasped her hand and she stopped.

"Yes." His voice sounded breathy and weak, but he didn't care. This was still all so new and surprising to him. "I was so fuckin' serious." If he had known that falling down a ravine would have allowed him to finally see his angel, again, he would have done it weeks ago.

Daryl knew right then, that he was in love. Love wasn't a Dixon thing. They didn't _do_ love. But deep down, Daryl knew that was what this was. It had only taken him a few minutes and a handful of words for him to fall. Hard.

"Why?" Carol's soft voice broke Daryl out of his thoughts. "We hardly know one another. How can you tell I'm someone you would want to spend the rest of your life with?"

Daryl couldn't really explain why he had decided that. The moment she had walked through those doors, his heart told him that Carol was the one for him. "Did you know we've...met before? It was like a month ago and kind of brief. Probably can't even consider it a meetin'."

A confused look crossed her face and Daryl could tell that she was trying to recall their meeting.

"It was at the convenience store in town," he supplied, hoping that it would help jog her memory. He didn't want to be the only one to remember the encounter. Part of him hoped that Carol had also found him intriguing in the few minutes they interacted, but he doubted it, though. Daryl knew that his persona didn't send out a message that he was a good guy. In fact, he looked like someone everyone should avoid.

When a look of recognition flashed across Carol's face, Daryl was surprised. Did she actually remember him?

"Yes, I remember." She smiled and Daryl took that as a good sign. "You had your arms full of snacks and when I saw the gummi worms on top, I nearly went down the aisle to get some for myself."

_ No fuckin' way..._

"You looked so sad, though." Daryl sat up more in bed and ignored the constant pain throbbing in his side.

"I was sad." Carol looked away towards the door. "I don't really want to talk about it, right now. Is that okay?" Her eyes returned to his and were filling up with tears. Daryl reached over a brushed a stray one that was making its way down her soft cheek.

"My answer is yes." Her voice was shaky, but she looked him right in the eye. "Yes, I will marry you. If you'll have me."

Daryl would have lunged and wrapped his arms around her if his side wasn't aching so badly. And the pain was the only thing that was keeping him from thinking it was all a dream, at the moment.

"Really?" He had to ask. To be sure.

She smiled, shyly. "Really."

"Then, I'm goin' to have to get you a ring."

Carol blushed and stood. "You don't have to do that."

"Course I do," he argued. "Got to make it official."

"All right." Carl gave him a shaky smile. "Well, um, do you need anything? I was-I was going to go work in my garden for a bit, but if you need something, I'm here to help."

Daryl felt his face heat up. "Uh, I kind of need to take a pi-. I mean, I need to use the bathroom and maybe get cleaned up...? Should have done that before I laid in your nice bed, though. Probably got the sheets dirty."

"Daryl, its fine." Carol reached over and placed a hand on his bicep. "I can wash the sheets. It's no big deal. Now," she flung the blankets from his body. "I'll help you get to the bathroom."

Daryl knew that he didn't need help to walk, but if it meant he could put his arm around her, then he would let Carol help. He still couldn't believe that they would get married. Fuck. He nearly started when Carol slipped an arm around his waist and together, they walked to the bathroom.

"You can take a shower if you want," she said when they reached the bathroom. "I can wash your clothes while you're in there. I think I may have an old pair of E-, uh, an old pair of sweats that you could wear." Carol wasn't looking at him and instead, had focused her attention to the towel hanging on the wall.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Just leave your clothes on the floor by the door and I'll get them as soon as you're in the shower." She gave him one last smile and left the room. Daryl watched the door click shut and wondered why her smile had suddenly gone sad.

* * *

><p>Carol's hands sunk into the cool dirt. She had left her gloves in the mudroom and didn't care that there would be dirt forever under her fingernails. She needed this time, alone, in her garden. So many things had happened that day that needed processing. Like the fact that she had just agreed to marry Daryl.<p>

It was only because he would protect her, she kept telling herself. But it didn't help ease the guilt. He adored her, that much was clear, and it made her feel good. No one had ever looked at her like that before. Not even Ed during their early months, together.

Thinking back to when she had first seen Daryl, Carol couldn't help but smile. She had noticed the handsome man standing by the refrigerated goods. Ignoring the leering clerk, she had walked up to them to get a bottle of water and almost giggled when the man nearly tripped over his feet trying to get out of the way. She had felt his gaze on her back, but it didn't make her skin crawl. Like the clerk's did. And Ed's. Daryl had an innocence about him and when they made eye contact once again, she almost gasped at the desire she had seen in his eyes.

Carol had pushed that interaction from her mind the moment she drove away, knowing that nothing like that would never happen to her, again. No man would _ever_ want her.

It turned out she had been wrong. Daryl wanted her. He wanted her enough to _marry_ her. Did that mean he was in love? Could he have fallen in love with her in their brief interaction? What could he have possibly seen in someone as useless and lonely as her?

"I can't do this!" She sobbed and covered her face with her hands, not caring that they were dirty. "I can't use him like this." But she had to. Ed would find her one day and she was too weak to deal with him on her own. He'd kill her, she knew. And Daryl would be devastated if she took back his proposal. She had gotten herself into a mess.

Tears continued to flow down her cheeks. She hadn't cried like this in a _long _time and her salty tears were created mud in the dirt-caked palms of her hands, but she didn't care. She was a horrible person and deserved whatever Ed was going to do to her.

"Carol?" Daryl's voice startled her and she looked up to see him standing on the grass in front of her garden. His hair was still wet and the borrowed shirt (a men's t-shirt she had bought to sleep in) clung to his slick body. It was already tight on him and his recent shower and damp skin made it cling to every crevice. Daryl really _was _a handsome man.

"Is something wrong, Daryl?" She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand, which was surprisingly clean.

"No, but there's obviously somethin' wrong with you." He walked into the dirt and Carol noticed he was barefooted. He sunk down next to her and wiped at her cheeks with a thumb. "Why are you cryin'?" His face was full of so much concern and dare she say it, love, that she burst into tears, again.

Daryl didn't hesitate to wrap her in his arms. Carol clung to him and he stroked her back in soothing strokes.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Daryl pulled back and looked down on her.

"No. It's nothing really." She managed a smile.

"Carol, we don't know one another that well, like you said, and I want to know _everythin'_ about you. I want to know why you're cryin' and why you looked so sad the day we first met."

It was only fair that she told him, but she didn't want to. Not yet. "I-I don't want to talk about it, now. But I will. I promise."

Daryl looked disappointed, but didn't press the matter. "Well, then, I was, uh, wonderin' if you could take me home."

Carol stood and wiped the dirt from her pants. "Sick of me already?" She teased.

"No. Never." He stood up and said, seriously. "I want to spend more time with you, but I wanted to get somethin' from my house, first. If...If that's okay?"

"Of course. Let me grab my keys and we can go."

"Thanks." However, Daryl didn't move to the house, like she thought he would. Instead, he remained standing in front of her, looking unsure. He reached for her, his calloused hand made contact with her cheek, softly, and Carol found herself leaning into the touch and not flinching away.

"Thank you for eveythin', Carol." He leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth. "My angel," he whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope the everyone enjoyed this chapter and I want to thank you for all of the lovely reviews! They blow me away! :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**This was meant to be a lot longer, but I found a good place to end it. I hope you all enjoy and I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to read this little thing. It really means a lot and it makes me want to keep writing for it! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

Daryl's lip still tingled from when he had kissed Carol, or from when he _half_ kissed her. He still could not believe that he had chickened out of kissing her fully on the mouth. They were going to get _married_. That meant they would be doing _more_ than just kissing. Heat flooded his cheeks at the thought. Their wedding would not be for awhile and Daryl knew that by then, he and Carol would be so comfortable around one another that he could swoop in and kiss her whenever he wanted. Or at least, he hoped.

Marriage was serious business, he knew, and most couples thought long and hard about that step in their relationship. But he had had just sprung the question on Carol and the woman had said yes. They must be both crazy. He definitely was. Daryl was in love with Carol, plain and simple. He wanted to know everything about the woman and he hoped that she would eventually come to love him, too.

Daryl knew she wasn't in love with him. Not yet, anyway. But it didn't matter to him. Carol wouldn't have agreed to his proposal if she thought she'd never be able to love him. She would never play with his heart like that. That was not the kind of woman she was and Daryl could tell that from the short amount of time they had known one another. Carol was kind, compassionate and hadn't looked at him with disdain the moment he opened his mouth.

"What are you thinking about?" Carol's voice filled the car, then, and startled him out of his thoughts. He had almost forgotten that they were in her car and on their way to his house.

"You." He answered automatically. Then, winced. "Fuck, that sounded creepy. Sorry." He ducked his head in embarrassment. Carol may have agreed to marry him, but that didn't mean she wouldn't get freaked out with how much attention and thought he gave to her.

"No, that's not creepy, at all." Her smile was bright and understanding when she looked away from the road for a second. "I was actually thinking about you, too."

"Really?" Daryl didn't bother to hide the surprise in his tone. "Good thoughts, I hope."

"I don't know much about you, Daryl and from what I've seen you _are_ a good man. But I've been fooled before." Daryl opened his mouth to respond, but Carol cut him off. "Tell me about your family."

This was the third time Carol had deflected telling him anything about her life and he wondered what she had to hide. This time, he let it slide, again, but he slightly vowed that he would find out why Carol randomly cried or looked sad and tell him it was nothing. Something or _someone_ had harmed this woman, _his_ woman, and he was going to find out what.

However, talking about his family was something Daryl wanted to keep hidden. Nothing about the way he grew up and who his blood was, screamed 'good man' and he didn't want Carol's view of him to change. Especially since he had finally found her again.

But how was to get Carol to open up, if he wasn't willing, too?

"I'll tell you about them," he said and looked towards her. "If you tell me about yours." There was no tightness in the way she gripped the wheel and nothing conflicting flashed across her face.

"Deal."

Daryl fidgeted in his seat and ignored the searing pain in his side that it caused. "Well, there ain't much to say about my family, so you'll probably be disappointed."

"I could never get disappointed in learning more about you, Daryl." She flashed him a brief smile before turning back to the road. Meanwhile, Daryl couldn't tear his gaze from Carol as he basked in the sincerity of her words. No one had really wanted to get to know him before. Not even the guys at work. He had been working at the garage for three years and they probably only knew his name. But that was how he liked it. With Carol, it was different. She _wanted_ to know more about him and that pleased Daryl to no end.

"Um, well, when I was nine my mom died in a house fire. I hadn't been home and when I did get back, it was just in time to see the firefighters put the fire out."

"I'm sorry, Daryl. That must have been hard since you were so young."

He shrugged. "I got over it real quick. She wasn't around much growing up. Always in her bedroom drinking and smoking. My dad died several years later and then, it was just Merle and me."

"Is Merle your brother?"

"Yeah, he's in jail now." Daryl smirked. "Drug possession and he won't be out for a few more years, so it's just me."

Carol reached over and grasped his hand. "I'm sorry, Daryl."

"It's okay. Really. And now, I have you, too." He squeezed her hand and looked at her, shyly. "Now, it's your turn."

"My story isn't much better than yours." She retracted her hand and placed it back on the steering wheel. "My parents are dead. They died in a car accident my sophomore year of high school. I lived with an aunt until I graduated and went off to college."

"No brothers or sisters?"

She shook her head. "My mom couldn't have any more after me. I always wanted a little brother or sister, though. It got kind of lonely when I had to play by myself."

"When I was younger, Merle was always out with his buddies getting into trouble and when I started high school, he decided to join up with the army. It was just me for awhile, but I liked it." He looked at her.

"Can he be difficult?"

Daryl chuckled. "Hell yeah." The driveway to his home appeared and he pointed to it. His house was nestled between a large number of trees, just like Carol's. It allowed him his privacy and he never had to go far to hunt. However, the house was small and worn down. It really wasn't a place he wanted to bring Carol.

"So, this is it?" Carol parked the car and shifted until she faced him.

"Yeah. Ain't much, but it's all I need."

"It looks cozy."

Daryl couldn't help but snort. "Stop lyin'."

"No, I'm serious!" She leaned forward on the steering wheel and gazed at his house. "It looks lived in and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Just wait until you see the inside," he mumbled and opened the door. "You'll probably change your mind about it bein' cozy."

Carol followed suit and climbed out of the car. Daryl was nervous, now, to have her inside his home. It was small on the inside. His living room only had a well-worn couch, a rickety table and an old television. The kitchen was outdated and his room down the hall only held a bed and a dresser. He didn't own many things, but that had never bothered him before. Until now. What was Carol going to think when he saw all of his meager belongings? Would she see, finally, what she was getting into and decide that it wasn't for her.

Daryl held open the door for Carol, and chewed on his thumbnail as he watched her take a look around his living room. He was glad that he was a fairly tidy person. If Merle had been living there, there would have been empty beer cans, dirty dishes and clothes sprawled everywhere.

"I know it ain't much." He shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to watch Carol, to see her reaction.

"You live by yourself. This is all you need." She turned to him. "My house is the same. Why have more than you need?"

"R-right." Daryl didn't know how she did, but Carol seemed to always say the right things. She could have said a number of things that would have made him feel like shit, but she hadn't. She understood him.

They stood in silence for a bit. Carol continued to look around the room and Daryl continued to look at her. Then, he remembered why he had wanted to come home. "Well, uh, do you want to have a seat? I'll be right back."

"Okay." Carol stepped back and settled herself on the couch. Daryl took one last look at her before scurrying off to his room. What he had come here for was hidden away in the top drawer of his dresser.

With shaky hands, he moved aside his underwear and reached until he hit the back of the drawer. When his hand knocked into a little box, he grasped it and pulled it out. Nestled inside was a ring. It was his mother's. Not her wedding ring, though, that had been buried with her, but a ring that had been passed down from her grandmother. He hoped that it would fit Carol's finger and that she would accept it.

Daryl clutched the box hard and walked to his doorway. This was it. He knew he had already proposed to Carol and she had said yes, but this was where the real test laid. Would she accept the ring, which was something that would physically show that she was his, or would she reject it and him?

"Daryl?" Her soft voice startled him and she was right there, in front of him.

"Yeah?"

"Is there something wrong? You were in here for awhile. I just wanted to come check on you and make sure you're all right." Her blue eyes fell on his side, where he was bandaged and stitched. "Is your side bothering you?"

"No." Truthfully, he had forgotten all about the wound in his side.

"What's that in your hands?"

Daryl smirked. "Curious one, ain't we?"

Carol blushed and looked down. "Sorry," she mumbled.

He instantly felt bad. Carol had actually looked upset at his teasing words. "Hey," he gently tilted her head up so they could lock eyes. "I was just kiddin'." He held out the box to her. "It's for you."

"For me?" She took the box, tentatively.

"Yeah. Open it." Daryl hid his shaking hands behind his backs. He didn't want Carol to know how nervous he was. When she opened the box, she gasped.

"It's beautiful." She held up the ring. It held a single diamond, surrounded by two sapphires on a silver band.

"It used to be my mom's." Daryl jumped when she shoved the box into his chest.

"Oh no, Daryl, I can't take it, then. Especially if it's your mothers."

He enclosed her hands within his and pushed the box towards her. "She would have wanted you to have it." His large hands engulfed hers and her soft skin felt good on his rough, calloused palms. "I may not have known my mama very well, but I think she would have liked you."

Tears glistened in Carol's eyes and clutched the box lovingly to her chest. "Oh, Daryl."

Reaching for it, Daryl carefully removed the ring and held it out to her. "See if it fits." Carol's hands shook as she took it from him and slid it onto her left hand. It fit perfectly.

"Jesus," Daryl breathed and when Carol turned wide eyes up at him, he smiled. "Does that mean this is fate? That we're supposed to be together?" His face reddened. "Uh, I mean-"

"Maybe it is." Carol interrupted, while her eyes never left the ring. She seemed faraway. "Maybe it is."

* * *

><p><strong>So, Carol is getting there. She isn't anywhere near to the level Daryl is at, yet, but she'll get there eventually. Ed's still a constant presence in her mind. The bastard. The next chapter will be in her POV, so you will all see that. :)<strong>

**Thank you for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's the next chapter. It's like the last chapter, except its in Carol's POV. I hope that's all right with you, plus I think you all will like the end. Well, I hope you all do, anyway! ;) **

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

It was silent in the car as they drove the surprisingly short distance to Daryl's home. However, it wasn't the kind of silence that made Carol uncomfortable or...afraid. Like the kind of silence that would befall Ed right before he'd hit her. No, this was comfortable. She didn't feel the need to fill in the empty spaces with useless chatter and it seemed Daryl felt the same. But when a perplexed looked crossed his face, she had to know what the man was thinking. Normally, she would have never thought to be so bold and nosy, but Daryl was bringing out another side of her. A side she had thought was long gone. A side that she had liked. A side that Ed had beaten out of her.

When he had blurted out that it was her that he had been thinking so hardly about his face had flushed a deep red and she had to hold back a giggle. Daryl was awkwardly adorable and that was something she had never encountered in a man before and she liked it. After she had assured him, that she had been thinking about him, as well, she asked to know about his family. Did he have any other brothers that acted the same as him?

Daryl hesitated and Carol wondered if it was a sore subject for him. Her family stories were sad to recall, as well. When he started to talk about his parents and his brother, Carol knew why he had hesitated. Despite it all, though, especially the part about his being brother being in jail, she could tell that Daryl was a good man, or at least trying really hard to be one. She remembered back when they had first seen one another and how he had looked at her shyly before averting his gaze. Back then, he hadn't known her and had no reason to pretend he was a good man. The clerk on the other hand, had made it no secret at what a sleaze he was.

"I'm sorry, Daryl," she said when he was finished talking and reached over to grasp his hand. Another bold move on her part, but she didn't care.

"It's okay. Really. And now, I have you, too." His words and hand squeeze back, had Carol's heart thumping loudly in her chest because she could really see that being around her was making him happy. She saw it in the way he shyly looked at up at her.

After she told him about her family, they continued to chat a little more, but when they pulled into Daryl's driveway, he grew quiet. The atmosphere of his house reminded Carol of her own home and made her think about how alike they could be. Was Daryl hiding something, too?

"So, this is it?" She said and put the car in park before turning it off completely and turning to Daryl, who wasn't looking in her direction, but was looking down at his lap.

"Yeah. It ain't much, but it's all I need."

"It looks cozy," she said, honestly.

"Stop lyin'," he snorted.

"No, I'm serious!" Leaning on the steering wheel, she looked at the house more thoroughly. "It looks lived in and there's nothing wrong with that." Sure, it looked a little worn down, but that was what happened to homes that were lived in. At least it wasn't falling apart. Carol could very well see herself living in this house, with it being hidden from the outside world. The thought startled her. When they got married, she could very well live in that house. And, she was oddly okay with it.

Daryl opened the door to her car and mumbled as he stepped out, "Just wait until you see the inside. You'll probably change your mind." Carol seriously doubted it.

She followed him inside the house. It was clear that Daryl was even more nervous, now, and his eyes were on her as she stepped into the living room. It was exactly what she expected of him. A couch, table and TV were the only things that furnished the room. She hadn't expected anything fancy and that was okay.

Daryl walked to her side, hands shoved in his pockets. "I know it ain't much." He waited patiently for a reaction.

"You live by yourself. This is all you need." She turned to face him and gave him a reassuring smile. "My house is the same. Why have more than you need?"

"R-Right." The way his face brightened at her words did weird things to her heart. He looked at her as if she were the sun, or as if she were an _angel._

They stood in silence for a bit. Daryl shifted nervously at her side. One hand had snuck out of his pocket and now, gnawed on the skin of his thumb. Carol had figured out that was one of his nervous ticks, very quickly.

"Well, uh, do you want to have a seat? I'll be back."

"Okay." Carol took a seat on his couch and watched with a small smile as Daryl hurried off to his room. She had no idea what he was after, but while he was gone, she would allow herself to get lost in her thoughts. Had it really only been yesterday when she had found Daryl at the bottom of a ravine? And since then, she had become engaged to the man, which still shocked her. Her first marriage had been horrible, but she knew this one would be better. She wasn't in love with Daryl, not yet, but she knew he would take care for her. Somehow, in that short period of time, he had fallen in love her, just when she had started to think no man ever would and she'd end up alone.

Several minutes had passed since Daryl had left Carol in the living room and she wondered what was taking him so long. Usually she would have sat and waited patiently for a person to return, but for some reason she needed to know what he was up, too. So, she got up from the couch and walked in the direction he had gone in. When she arrived at his doorway, she saw that he was clutching something in his hands.

"Daryl?" She said.

"Yeah?" He startled at her sudden appearance.

"Is something wrong? You were in here for a while. I just wanted to come check on you and make sure you're all right." She looked to his side, knowing that she had only stitched him up yesterday and he had done a lot of moving around since, then. "Is your side bothering you?"

"No." She breathed a sigh of relief, but then looked at his hands. There was something in them.

"What's that in your hands?"

"Curious one, ain't we?"

Carol couldn't help but flush. Of course, it was none of her business what he held, after all. "Sorry."

"Hey." A hand gently tilted her chin up so that she could look him in the eyes. "I was just kiddin'." He held out the box to her. "It's for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah. Open it." His hands went behind his back. Carol carefully opened the box and gasped when she saw the contents of it. It was a ring. A beautiful one.

"It's beautiful." She held it up.

"It used to be my mom's." Instantly, she placed the ring back in its box and shoved it back at him. The action had clearly taken him by surprise and he had nearly dropped it.

"Oh no, Daryl, I can't take it, then. Especially if was your mother's." His mother had died in a fire and this could quite possibly be the only thing he had left of her. She couldn't take it from him, especially since this whole marriage was only a way of being protected from Ed.

She almost gasped when he enclosed her small hands in his large, calloused ones and pushed the ring box into them. "She would have wanted you to have it. I may not have known my mama very well, but I know she would have liked you."

She couldn't help it, but tears came to her eyes. "Oh, Daryl."

He took the box from her and carefully removed the ring. "See it fits." Carol's hands were shaky so bad when she took back the ring, that she was afraid she would drop it. Eventually, though, she slipped it on her left ring finger and it fit. Perfectly. The air left her lungs, then. No way...

"Jesus," Daryl breathed and she turned to seem looking at her with wide eyes. "Does that mean this is fate? That we're supposed to be together?" His face turned red. "Uh, I mean-"

"Maybe it is." Carol looked down at the ring. "Maybe it is." This time around, the ring did not feel as heavy as the ring Ed had given her and she wondered what it was.

"So, now, it's...official." Daryl still looked slightly embarrassed.

"It is." Carol smiled and put her arm to her side.

"Um, can I-can I kiss you? I mean, _really_ kiss you?" The thought of having Daryl kiss her made Carol nervous and giddy at the same time. She hadn't been kissed by a man in a _long_ time and that included Ed. He no longer considered him a man. To her, he was a monster.

"O-Of course." She tilted her head up and waited. Not knowing what to expect from the incredibly shy man.

That moment right before his lips met hers, Carol was afraid that he would be rough. But he wasn't. Daryl was gentle as he cupped her cheeks in his hands and leaned down to kiss her. Tears sprung in her eyes at the softness of his mouth on hers. He was kissing her like she was going to break.

She tentatively wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Then, it was like a dam had burst. Daryl's hands slid from her face and he wrapped his strong forearms around her waist and she found herself pressed against his back as he applied more pressure to their lips. A moan escaped from her and they both froze.

Daryl set her back on her feet, eyes wide and breathing ragged, and stepped back. "I-I hope that was okay."

Carol tried to catch her own breath. "It was perfect." She hadn't expected to respond like that, but kissing him had felt so _right_. She winced at how cliche that sounded, but it was true. She wasn't in love with him, yet, but something told her it wouldn't take long for her to be.

"Great." He gave her a shy smile. "Well, um, are you hungry? I can fix us something real quick, if you are."

It had been a few hours since she had last eaten and she figured it was about lunchtime. "Sure, and I can help." The smile on Daryl's face grew.

Right then, Carol hoped that Daryl would _never_ have to find out why she was really marrying him.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, here's fic 2 out of 4 that I've updated before the premiere. Only 2 more to go. I hope I can get to them!<strong>

**AND GUESS WHAT, EVERYONE! This is the LAST Sunday before TWD comes back on! Who's excited? I know I am! :D**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I immediately started writing this after the episode last night. I needed to write Caryl after watching it! lol**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

The kitchen was small and cramped and exactly what Carol had expected. Daryl probably did not spend much time in the room and didn't need the space to be large. She, on the other hand, spent most of her time in the big, airy kitchen at home. It was where she would sit and read or dream the hours away.

Daryl had stopped to watch her give the room a look over, just as he had when they had first walked into his home, and gnawed on his bottom lip. Carol wished that he wouldn't be so nervous around her and afraid that she would judge him harshly on the way he lived. That was not the kind of person she was and never had been. She knew she would have to show him that.

"So, um, do you like deer?" His voice sounded uncertain as he asked and his gaze focused on the worn table in the middle of the room.

"I've never had it before."

Daryl looked genuinely surprised and Carol nearly giggled at how fast his head had shot up at her admission. "Really?" She nodded. "Well, would you like to try some? I could, maybe, make us a stew."

Carol's stomach rumbled and about anything would have sounded good to her right then. "Sure, I'll try some. And if you're making a stew, I can help cut up the vegetables."

"You don't have to help," he said. "You're a guest."

"And your soon-to-be wife," she reminded him with a smile. Daryl's face flushed and his eyes flicked to the ring now resting on her finger. One of his hands grasped her left one and his thumb gently stroked the band.

"You're right." When his eyes met her's, she almost gasped at the love she saw in them. He smiled, then. "There are potatoes and carrots in the fridge. I'll get everythin' else you'll need."

Carol moved to get to work. "Sounds like a plan."

The pot simmered on the stove and Carol stood to stir it while Daryl sat at the small table and watched. They had been taking turns stirring for the past hour and a half and it was now, closer to supper time than lunch.

"I think it's almost done," Carol said and reclaimed her seat. "Good thing, too, because I'm starving."

"I really hope you like it, then." Daryl wasn't sure how he was going to deal if Carol didn't like the deer stew. It seemed like such a trivial thing, but hunting was the main way of getting food and what he had most stocked up was venison. He wouldn't know how else to provide for her.

"Hey." Carol slid a hand across the table to place over one of his. "Stop over thinking things. I'm pretty sure I'll like it and besides, I helped make it, so I have to like it."

Daryl could have sworn he had just fallen in love with Carol a second time. The woman was just so perfect...and why the hell would she agree to marry a guy like him? Shaking the thought from his mind, he stood up from the table.

"It should be about done, now. I'll get the bowls and silverware, and we could eat outside, if you want." Grabbing two bowls from the cupboard and two spoons from a drawer, he turned to look at her. "I usually eat out there when the weather is nice, but, of course, we don't gotta if you-"

Carol stood up. "I'd love to. Now," she walked over to the pot. "Hand me those bowls so we can eat."

* * *

><p>"It's beautiful out here," Carol commented when she settled in one of the chairs on Daryl's porch. Though, Daryl didn't have garden like she did, Carol still found his backyard beautiful. The sun was peeking through the trees while on its way to set and it gave the leaves a golden hue. The fall air was a bit chilly, but Carol didn't mind.<p>

Turning slightly, she set down the glass of milk she had in one hand on the table beside her and held the steaming bowl of sip in both. Her mouth watered at the smell and she couldn't wait to dig in.

"Yeah," Daryl agreed and sat in his own chair. "It's one of the reasons why I bought the place. Plus, it's away from everythin', just as I like it."

"Same here." Carol took a bite of the stew, then, and smiled after swallowing the first bite. "Yum. This is _really_ good." She took another bite. Then, another.

Daryl chuckled as he watched her eat. "Well, like you said, you helped make it, so it had to be good."

"I just cut up a few vegetables and stirred the pot every once in awhile, everything else was you, Daryl." More stew went into her mouth. "I think I may have you come to my house every day so that you could cook for me." She winked at him.

"I-I could do that, if you want." He sounded unbelievably shy and Carol could tell that he wasn't use to getting this kind of praise. She found it enduring.

"How about when we're married, we'll split the cooking? Since, now, I know you can and all." She grinned and tried to ignore the fact that she had mentioned their marriage twice in the past hour and hadn't felt panicky.

"Sounds good," he mumbled and bent over his bowl, with the tips of his ears turning red.

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><p>After they finished their meal, Daryl stood to collect their dishes and then, head to his room to find a hoodie for Carol to wear. He had noticed her shivering, even though she hadn't mentioned that she was cold. On the way back outside, he was suddenly struck with how much they didn't know one another. Sure, as they ate, they had chatted about various things, but not once did Carol offer anything up about her life beforehand.<p>

That was when he got an idea. Walking back into the kitchen, he grabbed the little notepad and pencil he kept by the fridge and walked back out to join Carol. She smiled gratefully when he handed her his hoodie and he watched as she put it on. Something stirred in him at seeing Carol wearing something of his.

"Thank you." Carol snuggled deeper into the chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. Daryl placed the pad of paper on the table beside them and she looked at it curiously.

"Uh, do you want to play a game?"

Carol's mouth tilted up in a half smile. "Sure. What kind of game?"

"Well, it's kind of a 'gettin' to know one another' game. Each of us writes down questions on a piece of paper, we put it in a bowl or somethin' and pick a paper out. For each question, both of us have to give an answer."

"So, what you're saying is, don't ask a question you don't want to answer?"

Daryl shrugged. "I guess you can put it that way. So, do you want to?"

"Okay!" She reached for the stack of little sheets of paper Daryl made for her and picked up a pencil. Daryl did the same and the porch grew quiet, except for the scratches of their pencils.

Several minutes later, they had a nice pile of folded papers and Daryl moved them all into a clean bowl he had retrieved from the kitchen. He held it out to Carol. "You first?"

"Okay." She made a grand show of closing her eyes and moving her hand through the pieces of paper. Many of the pieces spilled over the side and Daryl had to move fast to catch them. Finally, she shagged a piece and opened her eyes.

"Read it." He placed the bowl aside and waited to see if it was one of his questions.

"What's your favorite color?" That had been of one of hers.

"Green," he answered almost right away, even though he had almost blurted out 'the color of your eyes'. "Yours?"

"Blue. Dark blue to be exact." She placed the paper on the table and pushed the bowl toward him. "Your turn."

He picked up a slip. "How old are you?" Another one of her questions. "24. You?"

"106," she deadpanned.

"Well, damn." He chuckled. "You look mighty young for an old lady."

"Oh, you know, I use a lot of moisturizer and stuff." Carol laughed. "I'm actually 23."

"Now, that sounds about right. Your turn." Hopefully, this time she would pick a question that wouldn't be so straight forward. Maybe one of his questions.

"What are you most afraid of?" Something flashed across her face. "The thing I'm most afraid of is...the dark." Daryl caught her hesitation and wondered if that was what she had really wanted to say.

"I'm afraid of falling down ravines and shooting myself with a crossbow." That got a laugh out of Carol and he absolutely loved the sound of it. However, that hesitation still weighed on his mind. What _was_ she most afraid of and why didn't she want to tell him?

"Why are you afraid of the dark?" He asked, hoping maybe it would get more out of her.

Carol shrugged. "I've always been afraid of it. You're turn."

Daryl couldn't do anything more, but pull another slip of paper from the bowl. "Do you want children?" His face flamed at the question. It had been one of Carols'.

"Yeah, I want children, someday." _With you._ He wanted to add, but refrained. He didn't want to scare her off, especially if she didn't want children.

"Yes," she answered wistfully. "I want at least one boy and one girl. Maybe even more."

"When we have a girl," Daryl said boldly. "I would want her to have your eyes."

She gasped. "I, uh, my turn." Carol nearly dropped the bowl to the ground in her haste to get the next question. "Have you ever been in love?" Instead of answering with a smile about maybe being in love during her teenage years, Carol's face fell and she spoke softly, "Yes."

Daryl was about to ask about who she had been in love with you, when her head shot up. "Please, don't ask. I'll-I'll tell you at another time, but I can't. Not now."

"Do you still love him?" Daryl's heart sank. Was she still in love with another man even though she had agreed to marry him? Carol most have noticed the distress on his face because she reached over and grasped his hand.

"No!" She exclaimed. "I-I would have never said yes to you, if I was still in love with him. So, what about you? Have you ever been in love?"

Daryl looked straight at her. "Not before you." Then, he closed the distance and kissed her. She was shocked, momentarily, but soon melted into his kiss. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he tugged on her until she got up and straddled his lap. They both gasped at the sudden intimacy and Daryl was afraid that Carol was going to bolt. Instead she kissed him softly on the cheek.

"I should probably head home. It's getting pretty late." Daryl hadn't even noticed that the sun had set.

"Okay." He was reluctant to let her stand up from his lap.

"I had a great time, tonight, Daryl."

"I did, too." He rubbed at the back of his head. "Can I take you out sometime?"

"Like a date?" She smiled.

"Yeah."

"We're doing things a little bit backwards, aren't we?" She teased and raised her left hand.

"Yeah. We are. Maybe we can talk about when we want to get...married." Carol's smile flickered for a second.

"Of course!"

"So, Friday night? Is that all right?" It was only Wednesday and Daryl had no idea how he was going to be able to wait that long.

"Friday's perfect." Together, they walked through his house until they reached the front door. He didn't want to see her go.

"Can I see you, tomorrow?" He blurted. "I work until 6. Can-Can I stop by? Just for a little bit."

Carol beamed. "Of course. This time, I'll make you supper."

"You don't have to."

"I want to." She went up on her tiptoes and kissed the corner of his mouth. "I'll see you, then."

"Yeah." And with that, Daryl watched Carol drive out of his driveway.

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><p>Carol nearly burst into tears the moment she had pulled onto the road. So much had happened in that little game they had played. She had wanted to keep it easy, by asking questions like his favorite color and how old he was, but of course he would have put more in depth inquiries in the bowl. Daryl wanted to know more about her and she didn't blame him. They were getting married and he wanted to know what she was all about.<p>

But she didn't want him to know all about her. If she told him about her past, it wouldn't take him long to figure out the real reason why she had said yes. Daryl was smart and very observant.

Finally, when she reached her home, all she wanted to do was hop in the shower and go to bed, but a blinking light on her phone, sitting on the counter, had her heart beating fast. Picking it up with shaking fingers, she looked at the new message.

_ I feel like I'm getting closer to finding you, my little Carol._

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><p><strong>Oh. My. God. That premiere was everything I could have ever asked for. I have seriously watched the Caryl reunion like 50 times. I'm not even joking and I plan on watching it another 100 times before next Sunday's episode!<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**LOVED the episode, tonight. How about you all? All the Caryl scenes were perfect, especially the water jug one! Gah, I do love me an awkward Daryl! ;) And I absolutely loved Carol/Melissa's face during it, too. It looks like I'll be watching that on repeat, too! The episode also made me sad a bit, but I don't want to say why in case some of you haven't seen it, yet. And I hope I'm not the only one, but for some reason, I really like Father Gabriel!**

**Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

Daryl normally didn't mind his job at the garage, but today, he cursed every hour he had to spend there. Even with working through his lunch shift, to get off early, he still had a few hours until the clock would show that it was six. It also was not helping that they hardly had any clients during the course of the day, and that meant there was nothing to keep Daryl's hands and mind busy.

"What the hell is up with you, man?" Jim, a tall, thin man with a dark, scraggly beard and mustache walked up to him with a smirk. "Got yourself a hot date or somethin'?"

Jim was one of the few that Daryl worked who actually liked. Normally, he would mind his own business, get his work done and didn't complain about stupid shit. Daryl respected that, and it was one of the reasons why he didn't snap at the man for prying into his business, now. "Guess you could say it's somethin'," Daryl muttered and wiped his oily hands off on the red rag he always carried around. Glancing at the clock, he saw that he only had about an hour and a half until he would be allowed to leave.

"At the best days, you're pretty fidgety, but today, you can't stand still." Jim leaned against the wall by Daryl's toolbox. "Just thought I'd come over here and make sure things are all right and to make sure you ain't takin' any drugs while on the job, cause the boss wouldn't hesitate to fire your ass."

Daryl grunted. Their boss was a fair man, and even though Daryl knew that he was one of the better workers in the place, he knew that if he was caught doing anything illegal while at work, he would find himself out of a job. Quickly.

"So, this somehin'. Does it involve a lady?"

"Why the hell are you gettin' so nosy all of a sudden?" Daryl glared.

Jim shrugged. "If you haven't noticed, its pretty damn slow around here and I need somethin' to do."

"If I tell you it involves a lady, will you shut up?"

"I suppose."

"Well, it does involve one and that's all I'm goin' to fuckin' say." Daryl opened one of the drawers to his toolbox and pulled out a handful of tools. He set to work on cleaning them, hoping that it would help pass the time.

"Finally!" Daryl jerked forward when Jim slapped him on the back. He knew that the other man had meant it has a way to show his camaraderie, but he still moved from him and kept his back facing away. No one was allowed to touch him there. No one.

"Sorry," Jim winced when he saw Daryl's not so subtle move away from him. "It's just that none of us guys have heard about you being with a woman." He leaned close and whispered. "Some were even thinkin' you were gay."

"What?" Daryl growled and gripped the wrench in his hand until the skin of his knuckles was pulled tight against the bone.

"Uh, said _some_ of them thought that." Jim raised his hands and took a step back. "Not me. I told them that it was none of their business."

Daryl loosened his grip on the wrench. "Good. It ain't none of y'alls business what I do in my free time."

"Understood." Jim nodded. "Have fun with your lady friend, tonight." And he quickly scurried off to the other side of the garage. Daryl was glad to be left alone, and only felt a little remorse at scaring the other man.

* * *

><p>Carol walked into her kitchen with her arms full of grocery bags. She hadn't known what to make for dinner that night and had decided to pick up several things so that she would have some options. Glancing at the clock, she saw that she had some time before Daryl would show up and figured that it was plenty of time for her to get showered and to start on the meal.<p>

She had to admit that she wasn't the greatest of cooks, but for some reason, she knew that Daryl would like whatever she made. Even if it was burned or undercooked. What a drastic change he was from her ex-husband. If the meal was anything _but_ perfect, Ed would make Carol pay for it. Most nights she would go to bed with fresh bruises.

"Not tonight, though," she whispered to herself as she put away the groceries. Every once in awhile the ring on her left hand would catch her attention and she would have to stop to just look at it. This whole thing was becoming more and more real to her, and she was way beyond the point of turning back, now. Daryl was going to be her _husband_ and she was going to be his _wife._ They still had many things to discuss, like where they would live and when they would actually have the wedding, but it was all but set in stone.

Carol was going to be a Dixon.

* * *

><p>Six o'clock <em>finally<em> rolled around and Daryl was peeling out of the garage's parking lot at 6:01. He still had to go home, shower and change, but at least he was getting closer and closer to seeing Carol, again. If he hadn't known he was in love before, he definitely knew, now. Not an hour went by where Daryl didn't think if Carol in some way.

She was beautiful. He could stare at her all day, but that was not the only thing that drew her to him. She was kind, and after finding out who he was and where he came from, her opinion of him hadn't changed. She didn't _have_ to nurse him back to health; she could have ignored his request and called an ambulance once they had reached her home. She didn't have to say yes to his proposal. She could have kicked his ass out of her home and tell him good riddance. Some part of her wanted to marry him, for that he was glad, but there was another part that she was trying to keep hidden. A part he hoped to find out about, because he knew it was holding her back from _really_ caring about him the way he cared about her.

Daryl _needed_ to know what she was so afraid, because _she was_ afraid of something and it wasn't the dark.

* * *

><p>With her hair still damp from the shower, Carol stood over the stove and stirred the sauce in the pan. She was making spaghetti, figuring that most everyone liked spaghetti and so would Daryl. Even though Carol had to agree that Daryl wasn't like most everyone.<p>

Just as she turned the sauce on to simmer, the doorbell rang and she knew exactly who it was. Instantly, she got nervous and ran her hands down the front of her body, making sure that there was no sauce and everything looked all right.

When she opened the door, Daryl stood there dressed the nicest she had seen him, with jeans that didn't have holes and a nice, blue plaid shirt that actually had sleeves. In his hands, he held a bouquet of white flowers and when she opened the door, he all but thrust them in her face. It was clear he was as nervous as she and this wasn't even supposed to be their date night.

"Um, their Cherokee Roses," Daryl offered when she brought the flowers to her nose to inhale. They smelled wonderful.

"They're beautiful," she smiled. "Come in. I'm going to find a vase to put them in." Before she could turn from her guest, he gently grabbed her wrist and looked even more nervous. If that was possible.

"Can I kiss you, first?"

Carol found it enduring that he asked to kiss her. The only exception had been last night after his admission of having never loved anyone except her.

"O-Of course. But you don't have to ask, anymore. Okay?"

Daryl nodded; eyes focused on her mouth before he leaned forward and captured her lips with his. His mouth tasted like toothpaste and something else that was only unique to him and Carol was surprised that she could easily see herself becoming addicted to that taste. His tongue gently outlined the seam of her lips, just as his hands crept into her auburn curls. One of her hands had moved up to cup his cheek, while the other held the roses close to her chest.

She allowed the kiss to get deeper and when they eventually pulled apart, they were gasping for air. Carol didn't want to dwell on what that kiss meant, so she used the excuse that dinner was still on the stove and possibly burning to escape.

* * *

><p>Daryl was nearly speechless when he opened the door to see Carol looking stunning in a light blue skirt, that matched her eyes, and white blouse that showed off her collarbones. He had all but thrown the flowers he had picked in her face and he had to mentally tell himself to calm down before he did something <em>really stupid.<em>

After their kiss, Daryl watched Carol retreat to her kitchen. He had wanted to convey in that one kiss how much he felt for her and wondered if she had known and that was why she had escaped. There was that side of Carol that Daryl knew was holding her back from caring for him.

After sliding off his boots, Daryl walked into the kitchen where Carol was standing over the sink pouring some noodles into a strainer. The roses he had given her now sat in a vase and placed in the middle of a table that was located in front of a large bay window.

When she saw him walk in, she smiled. "It's about ready. I hope you like spaghetti."

"I do." He noticed that the table was bare of any plates and silverware. "Uh, do you want me to set the table?" He needed something to keep his mind busy so that he wouldn't stand there and watch her like a creep.

Carol jerked her head to the table and cursed. "I thought I had it set, already. No, you don't have to. Just let me get this in a serving dish and I'll get the table."

"Naw." Daryl stepped closer. "Just tell me where everythin' is and I can do it."

Carol sighed and pointed to the cabinets that each item was in. "Plates and cups are up there, and silverware is here. I am really sorry about this. I was kind of in a hurry and that must have slipped my mind."

"Hey," Daryl said softly and placed a hand on Carol's wrist. "It's all right. Really. Besides, I figured I would probably have to work for my meal, anyway." He smirked and then, moved to collect the things for the table.

A few minutes later, Daryl carried the pan of spaghetti sauce to the table while Carol brought the noodles. She noticed that their cups were still empty and walked over to the fridge. "I have water and lemonade." She winced. "Sorry, there aren't more choices."

Daryl couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I've heard you say 'sorry' more than any other word, today, Carol. And I'll have lemonade."

"So-" She stopped herself. "Okay. Lemonade it is."

Once their drinks were poured, they settled down to eat their meal. Daryl found that he wished they were sitting by one another, like they had the night before, instead of being opposite ends of the table, but he wasn't sure how Carol would react, so he stayed put.

"This was really good," he said when he finished the meal. "I tried to make spaghetti once and I burned the fuck out of it." Carol nearly choked on the bite in her mouth when she laughed.

"How did you manage to do that?"

"Don't know." He shrugged. "I just remember leaving the kitchen for a second and comin' back to see that I had almost set my house on fire."

Carol giggled into her hand. "If I didn't already know that you could cook, Daryl, I would be very reluctant to set you in front of a stove, again."

"Well, I learned my lesson and now, I don't ever leave the kitchen when I'm cookin'."

"Good." Carol noticed his empty glass, then, and stood up. "Do you want more to drink?"

"Sure."

Carol walked over to the fridge to get the lemonade out to pour into his glass. "Okay, tell me when to stop." But when she moved to pour the liquid, she misjudged the distance, knocked his glass over and spilled lemonade all over the table and his lap.

"Oh my God, I am _so _sorry!" Carol set the jug down and quickly grabbed up some napkins to sop up the mess she had made.

"It's all right. Really. Here, I'll help." Daryl reached over to grab some napkins and the moment his hand went up; Carol flinched so hard she nearly fell on her butt on the floor. Daryl froze and Carol looked up at him with wide eyes.

"You all right?" His voice was soft with concern and he held out a hand for her to take.

"Oh, um, yeah. I just, uh, slipped." Carol said quickly and took his offered hand. "I think some of the lemonade got on the floor." She laughed, nervously and moved to clean up the mess, once again. However, this time, Daryl stayed rooted in his chair, mind far away.

There had been _no_ lemonade on the floor. It had all spilled on the table and his lap.

When he had lifted his hand to help, Carol had flinched almost like she had thought that Daryl would...hit her. He wanted to ask about it, but by the way she had quickly shooed his concern away, he could tell that it was a subject she did not want to talk about. Especially with him. But Daryl wanted to find out what it was. He _needed_ to find out.

Someone had physically hurt Carol in the past to the point that she flinched whenever a hand was raised and Daryl was going to find out who.

* * *

><p><strong>Things should be speeding up a little in the next chapter! :)<strong>

**Oh, and to that guest who left the long review on my last chapter, I really appreciate everything you told me and I hope I did at least slightly better in this chapter! Also, if you have an account on here, I would really like to talk with you! :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I want to apologize for the wait and I would like to blame school for it! Even with a four day weekend completely off work, I had enough homework to keep me completely busy. :( Well, anyways, I really liked writing this chapter and I really hope you all like reading it! :)**

**Chapter Ten**

"You didn't have to help clean up, Daryl. Really." Carol finished drying a plate and placed it where it belonged in the cabinet by her head. Daryl stood in front of the sink with his hands immersed in the sudsy water. Without saying a word, he had helped Carol clear the table and started washing the dishes.

"I wanted to." He turned and gave her a crooked smile. Scooting over slightly, he rinsed off the last plate and handed it to Carol. "Plus, I'd feel bad if I just sat there and watched you do all the work."

_ That's exactly what Ed did. _Carol surpassed a shudder when an image of Ed sitting at the dining room table, cigarette dangling from his mouth, as he watched her wash and put away every dish. His beady eyes watched her every move and waited for that second she would slip up, because to him she _always _slipped up, so that he would have a reason to hit her.

"Carol, you okay?" Daryl stood in front of her, now, eyes filled with concern.

"Uh, yeah." She smiled and turned to put the plate up. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a warm hand touched her hip.

"If there's anythin', _anythin'_, you need to tell me, just say it." The grip tightened and Carol turned to fully face him. "I'm here for you. All right? And I'm not goin' to let anythin' bad happen to you."

Carol had to quickly blink back the tears that threatened to spill. "Thank you, Daryl. But I'm fine. Really." She had to quickly look away from Daryl, because she saw in his eyes that he hadn't believed her.

"So, how about we have some ice cream and sit on the catch to watch a movie or something?" Carol knew her voice sounded too bright and cheery, but she needed to get away from his questioning eyes. Sooner or later, she was afraid they would finally see something of her that would scare him off.

"Sure," Daryl agreed and wiped his sudsy hands on the towel she had been using earlier to dry the dishes.

"I have chocolate and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Which one do you want?"

"I'll have whatever one you have," he answered.

Carol plucked out one of the cartons from the freezer and set it on the counter. "Mint chocolate chip it is! My favorite." She said, brightly. "Now, if you could reach behind you into that cabinet and grab two mugs that would be great." Turning from him, she opened a drawer to her right and took out a scoop.

"Mugs?" Daryl questioned, but did as he was asked with a confused look still on his face.

"Yeah, I eat my ice cream out of coffee mugs, is that okay? I can grab a bowl for you, if you want."

"Naw, its fine." He shrugged and leaned on arm on the counter to watch her scoop out their dessert. "Normally, I just eat it straight out of the carton."

"Well, we won't be doing _that._" Carol laughed and scooped a generous amount of ice cream into the two mugs. After throwing the now empty carton away, she took out a spoon, placed it in a mug and handed it to Daryl. Some ice cream had spilled over the edge of the rim and Daryl quickly leaned down to lick up the trail it was making. When he saw that Carol had watched him the whole time, he flushed a deep red.

"So, um, you said somethin' about watchin' a movie?" It was clear Daryl was trying to deflect the attention away from him and Carol found it adorable.

"Yeah, I don't know what we'll watch, but we can decide that once we get comfortable in the living room."

"Okay," he said and followed her.

They ended up watching _The Princess Bride_, one of Carol's favorites, and instead of rolling his eyes at her choice of movie; Daryl had settled into the couch and watched with interest. She had found it surprising that he had never seen the movie before, but was glad he had ended up enjoying it.

"I love Cary Elwes. Even now, he doesn't look that much different than he did when he did this movie." She had gotten up from the couch to place the DVD back in its case and turned to Daryl. "Maybe next time, we can watch _Robin Hood: Men in Tights_. I think you would like that one. It's very funny."

"Never seen it. But if I get to watch it with you, then I can't wait."

Carol blushed and turned away from him. "Then, it's another date."

She didn't even hear him get up from the couch, but then there was an arm wrapped around her waist and she found her back pressed against his chest. A woodsy scent invaded her nose. The move had startled her and she froze, but when she realized that it could only be Daryl, she relaxed a bit.

Daryl placed his chin on her shoulder. "Is this...okay?"

Carol placed a hand over one of his larger ones on her midsection. "Yeah, this is fine." Truthfully, Carol was enjoying the embrace more than she thought she should. When was the last time she had felt safe in a man's arms? Not since those beginning weeks of her marriage to Ed and she found that she was craving Daryl's protective touch.

"I should probably head on home." Daryl said after a few minutes and released her. Carol wanted to grab his arms back, but kept her hands firmly on her side.

"Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled and cupped her cheek. "Goodnight." He leaned forward and placed a soft, chaste kiss on her lips before leaving the room. Carol remained in that spot until she heard the roar of his truck's engine.

* * *

><p>Carol felt ridiculous in the pair of silver heels she had put on. It had been over a year since she had worn anything like them and now, she had taken to wearing them all day so that she would get use to them. Luckily, she hadn't sprained an ankle. Yet.<p>

Glancing at the clock, she saw that Daryl would most likely be there in about fifteen minutes and she was proud to say that she was completely ready. She had been ready for over an hour. It hadn't taken her long to know what she would wear. That first month free of Ed, she had gone out and bought a dress on a whim. Now, was the perfect time to wear it.

The dress was a navy blue in color and had a scoop neck that showed off her collarbone and long neck. It fit her snugly around her waist and then flared out. The hem reached a few inches above her knee.

Carol couldn't remember the last time she had ever felt this beautiful. Hopefully, Daryl would think the same thing...

Just at the mention of him, it seemed, the doorbell and ringed and announced his presence. Taking one last deep breath, Carol made sure her appearance looked all right in the bathroom mirror and then, walked to open the door for Daryl. She took great satisfaction when his mouth dropped open at the sight of her. Carol took the opportunity to look him over. Tonight, he wore a pair of black dress pants and an olive green button up shirt. She thought he looked very handsome.

"You look beautiful, Carol." He finally managed to say. Carol blushed and thanked him. "Well, um, are you ready to go, then?"

"Yeah, I am." Daryl reached for hand and she let him take it. Together, they walked to his truck.

* * *

><p>Daryl's hands were sweaty as he gripped the steering wheel. It was silent inside the cab as they made their way to Atlanta. He couldn't help but keep glancing over at Carol. She looked absolutely stunning in that dress and the silver heels she wore helped show off her long, smooth legs.<p>

"Uh, I hope you don't mind, but we're not goin' to one of those fancy restaurants," he said, nervously. No matter how hard he tried, Daryl just couldn't imagine himself sitting in a place like that. He hoped Carol would understand.

"That's fine, Daryl," she smiled. "I wasn't expected it and truthfully, I'd be kind of disappointed if you did take me to one."

"Really?" He asked in slight surprise.

"Yeah. I mean, do you know how small the portion is at those places? God, I would have to order at least two meals to be satisfied." Daryl couldn't help but snort out a laugh.

"What?" She asked. "I hope you didn't think I ate like a bird."

"Course not. If you recall, I was over your at place for supper last night and saw you put away two plates full of spaghetti." He laughed remembering it. "I know you can eat."

"Hey!" She playfully slapped his arm. "So, where is it that you're taking me?"

"Just a little place on the outskirts of Atlanta. They serve everythin' there. Chinese, Italian, Mexican." He shrugged. "Thought you would like to have a variety of things to choose from."

"Hmm, fried rice and a burrito sound so good. Did I over dress?" She glanced down at her blue dress.

"Naw. It's actually pretty nice inside. Me and Merle stumbled in there one night after hitting a bar one night. We got the evil eye from every one there. This time I have _much _better company, though." He reached over and squeezed her hand.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, they were seated right away. The place was full, but luckily, they had a table for two that was empty. The waiter handed them their menus and scurried off to go to another table.

"Seems pretty popular." Carol said, looking around.

"Yeah. I don't think there was this many people here the last time I came, but then again, it was pretty late at night." He turned his attention back to the menu, just as Carol did.

"So, I was serious about ordering fried rice and a burrito." She placed the menu down. "And I'm also thinking a glass of wine, too. Might as well try a little bit of everything."

"Hm, I'll get sesame chicken, refried beans and a beer." Satisfied with his choices, Daryl placed his menu on top of Carol's.

"They're going to think we're crazy." Carol hid a smile behind a hand.

Daryl just shrugged. "Hey, they offer the choices and it shouldn't matter how I want to mix them up."

As it turned out, the waiter _did_ give them an odd look when they ordered, but didn't say anything when he left to put the order into the cook. They waited until he had left the table before they burst into laughter. More odd stares went their way, but they ignored them.

"Can you imagine the look on the cook's face when he sees that?" Carol giggled.

"Probably will think we're a bunch of crazy teenagers or somethin'." Daryl smiled widely as he watched Carol continue to laugh. It was nice to see her laugh.

"Well, Mr. Dixon, I'm already have more fun than I have had in a _long_ time and our date just started.

Daryl felt his ears begin to heat up and he hated how much he blushed around this woman. "That's good. I was hopin' you would have a good time, tonight."

This time Carol reached for his hand. She didn't initiate touch much, so he was a little shocked. "I'm pretty sure I'll have a good time every time I'm with you, Daryl."

His thumb absentmindedly rubbed over the ring on her finger. "I want to marry you, right now."He blurted.

When Carol took her hand back, almost like he had burned her, Daryl found himself regretting saying those words. Why couldn't he keep his big mouth shut?

"I suppose we have to talk about that, huh?" Carol's hands hand gone down to her lap and she didn't look up as she spoke.

"We don't have to, if you don't want to." He quickly said. "We can bring it up whenever you're ready."

"How about in a month?"

"Talk about it in a month. Sure," he agreed. "We can d-"

"No. Let's get married in a month." She finally looked up at him. "Is that good or...or is that too long to wait?" A weak smile spread across her face.

"That's fine, Carol. I want you so bad. Uh, I-I mean," he stuttered. "I want you as my wife. So bad."

"Why?" Her voice was quiet. "We haven't known each longer long. I know I've asked you this before, but you didn't come across as someone who would fall for someone so quickly. And plus, I'm nothing special."

"No!" He almost shouted, then quieted down. "You _are_ special. It's true, we haven't known each other that long, but from what we have known, I find myself fallin' more every day." He ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck, I sound like a sap, but it's true. I never believed in all that 'love at first sight' shit. But then, I saw you."

At that moment, their food arrived and their talk was interrupted.

* * *

><p>They ate in silence, but Carol's mind was racing. Where had this man been when she had first met Ed? Why hadn't he been the one to sweep her off her feet? She would have never been hurt, then. She would have never been scared. She would have been able to be <em>happy<em> if Daryl had gotten to her, first. Now, she was afraid she would never be able to offer him everything he would want. There would always be that fear that Ed was still out there and Carol didn't know if she could ever allow herself to fall completely in love with this man. The last time she had down that, she had never been hurt so much.

"I'm-I'm sorry if I upset you, Carol." Daryl's voice sounded a bit raspy and he peeked at her though his bangs.

"No, you didn't. I promise." She smiled. "Everything you said made me...happy."

"It's all true. I swear. I love you. I never thought I would say the words to _anyone_, ever, but here I am."

"Well, I am damn lucky for you to be saying them to me."

Once again, the fell into silence, but this time Carol couldn't wipe off the smile on her face as she ate and it looked like neither could Daryl. When they finished, Daryl paid the bill and left a tip.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked and stood.

"I am." She pushed back her chair. Daryl walked over to her side of the table and wrapped an arm around her waist. Together they made their way through the restaurant to the front doors, but a familiar face had Carol stopping in her tracks.

_ No._

Turning her head slightly to the side, Carol saw the face that haunted her in her nightmares.

_ Ed._

"Are you okay?" Daryl was looking at her with concern and when he tried to see what she was staring at, she ushered him along.

"Sorry, I just thought I saw someone I knew. False alarm. Let's get out of here." It was taking all of willpower to not burst into tears. Why did he have to show up _now?_

In the truck, Carol made sure to keep the conversation going, so that Daryl wouldn't get suspicious. She wasn't ready to talk about _that_ part of her life, yet. She didn't know if she ever would.

"Well, we're here." With a start, she saw that they had pulled into her driveway. Why had the drive gone by so fast? She wasn't ready to be alone in her home. What if Ed had followed them? What if he was waiting for Daryl to leave before he showed up?

"I want you to stay the night, Daryl." She blurted.

"What?" He turned fast to look at her.

"I-I want you to stay the night." Carol willed the tremor from her voice.

"O-Okay."

* * *

><p>Daryl couldn't believe that he was lying in the same bed as Carol. He didn't think that he would be able to sleep this close to her until after they were married, but here they were. She had changed into a pair of pajama and had found him a pair of sweats to sleep in. Luckily, he had on a white tank top underneath his dress shirt and wouldn't have subject Carol to the scars on his back, yet.<p>

"Is this okay?" She had asked when she had snuggled close to his side and placed her head over his rapidly beating heart.

Daryl curled his arm around and pulled her even closer. "It's more than okay."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, Daryl continues on his OOC path, but a lot of you have said that you like him this way, so I won't change him! Also, as you can see, things are starting to get a little more interesting. This chapter was going to MUCH longer, but I decided to split in half. So, more interesting things are going to happen in the next chapter, as well!<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**This is, hands down, my favorite chapter so far and I hope you all like it, as well!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

When Daryl woke up the next morning, it took him awhile to figure out where he was. The bed was too big to be his own and the sheets, too soft. Plus, there seemed to be a weight lying on his right side. Definitely not in his own bed, then. Opening his eyes, Daryl was pleasantly surprised to see Carol's face only inches from him. She was still deep in dreamland and it must have been happy ones, because there was a small smile curled on her soft, pink lips. Was it possible that Carol could be dreaming about _him?_ His own dreams had been plagued with her image, though she had been anything _but_ happy. That eternal sadness that settled deep in her ice, blue eyes had shown brightly. No matter how hard he had tried, that sadness would not diminish. With a jolt, which luckily had not roused Carol at his side, Daryl realized that his dream hadn't really just been a dream. It was also his reality. Briefly that sadness in Carol's eyes had been covered up during their dinner the night before, but something had happened as they were leaving that caused Carol's walls to slam back up, again. He had asked what was wrong, but of course, Carol had deflected the question and shrugged of his concern.

Daryl knew that in the way Carol kept a conversation going in his truck that she hadn't wanted to risk him asking about what had just happened in the restaurant. Just as he thought they were finally getting somewhere, something like this happened and he was thrown right back to square one when it came to Carol opening up to him. It all felt weird, though. Daryl knew that he should be the one who was closed off, considering the horrible events of his past, and for the most part, he was. However, with Carol, everything seemed to change. His hang-ups about touch went out the window when Carol was around and he found himself craving _her _touch and trying to find out why she seemed to sad and scared all of the time.

Carol mumbled something in her sleep, then, and turned on her side, facing away from him. Blood rushed to the places it had been cut off from before and Daryl's whole arm started to feel like it was being pricked by hundreds of pins and needles.

Propping up on an elbow, once he regained feeling on that side of his body, Daryl looked down at the woman, whose bed he was in. His hand itched to trace the curves covered by the blanket and to run his fingers down the feather soft skin of her cheek, but he feared waking her and kept his hands to himself. In a month's time, he and this woman would be sharing a bed every night. Not only would they sleep together in that bed, but they would...they would _make love._ Daryl would finally know how it felt to be with a woman and not just _any_ woman, either, but the beautiful one lying only inches from him. He would finally feel how soft her skin was underneath her clothing. He would finally know what it would feel like to be inside her, to move with her and to feel her unravel beneath him. He would finally know the sounds she would make as they moved to reach that _peak_ together.

Daryl felt his whole body heat up at the images that flitted into his mind, and knew that he needed to get out of the bed before he embarrassed himself...or make Carol uncomfortable, which was something he never wanted to do. Just because he was ready for that stage of their relationship did not mean she was. Carol had been the one to request to have their wedding in a month and Daryl was going to respect that. Respect _her._ So, he slid carefully from the covers and warmth of the mattress, careful not to wake Carol, and padded towards the door. With one last look at Carol, he slipped out of the room.

It was weird to be walking in Carol's home without her by his side. The first time he had been here, he had a whole in his side and half-mad with pain and later, loopy from the pain medicine. The second time, he had been introduced to her kitchen and living room. Last night, he had finally entered the only room in her home that he hadn't been in before. Carol's bedroom.

When he walked into the kitchen, which was brightly lit because of the sun streaming through the large, bay window to his left, and saw that the time on the stove read 10:14. Normally, he would have been up a few hours before, but he didn't mind sleeping in this time. He would gladly sleep the day away with Carol, if that was what she wanted. Hell, maybe once things calmed down southward, he would crawl back into bed with her and do just that.

However, it was not to be when his stomach began to protest its emptiness and his eyes involuntarily went to her fridge. If she had some bacon and eggs in there, Daryl knew he would be able to whip a decent breakfast for the two of them. Maybe he would even bring into her in bed.

Walking over to the fridge, he opened it and saw that she did have the items he needed for breakfast. Taking them out, he got to work.

* * *

><p><em> "Did you really think you could get away from me?" A fist swung out and connected with her face. Carol knew she should be feeling pain at the blow, but could only lie on the floor where she had fallen in shock. Ed had found her and she had no doubt that he was going to kill her.<em>

_ "Get up, bitch." Ed leaned down gripped her by the arm and hauled her to her feet. "Did you really think that piece of shit would protect you from _me?_ I could have told you that he wasn't worth anything. He sure as hell __couldn't _protect_ you."_

_ Fear shot through Carol. "What do you mean?" Where was Daryl? He had just been there, but now, he was just _gone.

_ "Oh, honey, you haven't seen what I did to your boy toy, have you?" Ed's grip on her arm didn't loosen and he started to drag her through her house until they reached the kitchen. It was clear a struggle had gone down there. The table was tipped over, chairs la__y__ on their sides and broken dishes littered the floor, but what caught Carol's eyes immediately was the red. There w__ere red splashes _everywhere. _Some of it even dried and had become almost black in color. It looked like blood..._

_ No..._

_ He pulled her around the center counter. "There you go."_

_ Carol didn't want to look down. She refused. Ed noticed and with a snarl, gripped the back of her head and forced her to look down and found herself looking into the lifeless eyes of Daryl Dixon..._

Carol woke with a jolt and Daryl's name on her lips. Looking around she saw that she was alone in bed, even though she knew Daryl had been there with her last night. The side he had been on was cold, which meant that he hadn't been there for a while. What if that wasn't a dream? What if Ed really had found them and...

Carol scrambled out of bed and nearly fell in her haste to get to the door. "Daryl!" She called and ignored the fact that she her voice sounded borderline hysteric. She needed to know where Daryl was and needed to know that he was all right.

"Daryl!" She cried and stumbled to her knees in the hallway once she had pushed open the door. The smell of cooking food didn't even register until it was overpowered by the unmistakable smell of Daryl. Instantly, she found herself cradled in his strong arms.

"I'm here. I'm here," he reassured and Carol didn't even know she had been crying until she felt the salty tears slip past her lips. Once she became aware of them, there was no stopping her sobs.

"Oh God, Daryl. You're alright. You're _alright_."

"Was it a nightmare?" His words ghosted over cheek and she nodded.

"It's over, now, and I'm here and I'm all right." With his help, they got to their feet. Carol was unsteady, but Daryl wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close.

"You're here," she repeated and looked up to give him a watery smile.

"How about some breakfast? Maybe that will help you feel better." He guided her down the hall towards the kitchen and not once did he break his contact with her. That was until they made it to the kitchen and saw that what ever he was cooking on the stove was now smoking.

"Fuck!" He cried and ran to the range to turn off the flame. "So much for breakfast," he mumbled.

Carol couldn't help but giggle and the nightmare from earlier was momentarily pushed to the back of her mind. "Are you trying to burn my house down, Daryl Dixon?" The tips of his ears grew red and he turned from her to dump the darkened mass of whatever he was cooking into the garbage.

"No," he mumbled. "Was tryin' to show you I could cook you a nice breakfast. Course I gotta fuck it up. Sorry."

Carol waved him off. "No need to apologize." Walking up to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed affectionately. "We can always have some cereal and coffee. Sound good?"

He nodded with a shy smile.

"Okay, you get the bowls, spoons, milk and cereal and I'll get the coffee maker up and running. Breakfast can still be saved."

* * *

><p>"Did you want to talk about it?" They had just finished breakfast and were now sitting at the table staring out the window, together.<p>

"Talk about what?" Carol panicked.

"Your nightmare." Daryl's eyes searched hers.

"Uh, I forgot about it, actually." Right away, she knew that he wouldn't believe her, but she didn't want to talk about it with him. Especially since Ed had played a major part in it and that was something Carol didn't want to talk about it, yet.

"I see." Daryl looked disappointed as he stood and collected their dishes. "Oh, when I was cookin' earlier, somethin' in one of the drawers went off. Sounded like a phone, but I wasn't sure."

_ No_.

Part of her expected it, though. She would be lying if she had thought Ed hadn't seen her last night, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to see the words confirming it. But she would have to look at it eventually. So when Daryl started to fill the sink up with hot, sudsy water, Carol opened the drawer that held her phone and unlocked it.

Two new messages.

_ I finally found you..._ Read one. The words sent a chill through her, but it was the second text that filled her with dread.

_ If you think that piece of shit I saw you hanging off of last night will be able to protect you WHEN I find you, then you are even stupider than I thought. No one will get in my way of having you, Carol... No one._

Carol didn't even know she had fallen to her knees until the pain resonated up her spine. Daryl had abandoned the sink and was now, kneeling in front of her for the second time that day. His eyes were wide and wild with fear.

"What's wrong, Carol? Tell me." His hands gently cupped her cheeks and his thumbs worked fiercely to swipe away the tears. "Come on, darlin', I need you to tell me what's troublin' you."

She couldn't do it, though. She couldn't open her mouth and tell him about the horrors she had to suffer because of Ed. She didn't know if she could ever do it.

"Nothings wrong, Daryl." She tried to smile and began to wipe away the tears on her own. "I'm all right."

"No!" Daryl snarled and was on his feet. Carol didn't think she had ever seen him angry before. "There _is_ somethin' botherin' you and I want to know what. I love you for fuck's sake and there's somethin' holdin' you back from _lovin'_ me." His voice filled with sorrow, then. "I want to help you get past this, whatever it is, but I need you to _tell_ _me._"

Carol stood up on shaking legs. "I-I can't, Daryl."

Daryl's shoulders slumped, then, and the look on his face broke Carol's heart. "Fine. Then...we can't get married."

"What-What are you saying?" This was something she was not expecting and it was something she hadn't expected to be so devastated to hear.

"I can't do this if you ain't willin' to trust me. I can't do this knowin' that you will never allow yourself to love me."

"That isn't true!" Carol protested.

"I know we haven't know one another long, but I know you care for me...hell, sometimes I think that maybe, just maybe, you're startin' to love me, but then somethin' like this happens and I knew that all along I was just kiddin' myself." He ran a viscous hand through his hair. "You can keep the ring, Carol, to at least have somethin' to remember me by." He looked like he wanted to reach out to her, then, but kept his hand firmly by his side. The blue of his eyes swam and she was surprised to see tears, there. "Goodbye, Carol." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Carol called and rushed to grab his arm. "Okay, I'll tell you." She began to cry, softly. "I'll tell you. Please. Just don't leave. _Please._"

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><p><strong>This chapter was meant to be so much longer, but things went a little different than I had planned. Unfortunately it may take me a little while to update the chapter since I have other stories that I've been kind of neglecting. *cough*A Boy, A Girl and New York *cough*.<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I just want to apologize for the shortness of this chapter. The next one should be longer! :) I hope you all enjoy, anyway.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

Guilt surged through Daryl as he looked down at Carol, who was grasping his arm and crying softly. He hadn't meant to upset her this much, but he had every right to know what was bothering her. One minute she had been laughing and teasing him about almost burning her house down, and the next, she had to the floor with tears flowing down her cheeks. Earlier that morning, Carol had a terrible nightmare, in which she had run out of her room screaming his name. Something had obviously gone horribly wrong in the dream and Daryl had wanted to know the details in hopes to make her feel better. He tried to not seem bothered when she wouldn't tell him, claiming that she had forgotten it. Daryl knew she had not forgotten it, but he could understand why she wouldn't want to say anything, Nightmares still plagued him some nights and he knew he would find himself reluctant to share them. Even with Carol. However, when she had crumpled to the floor, Daryl knew he had to know what was going on. There would be no more skirting around the issue, anymore. He wouldn't allow it.

It had been almost physically painful when he said that they couldn't get married. The words had tasted bad in his mouth, but he knew he had to get them out. Knew that if he didn't, they would continue in this cycle of Carol being overcome with something and for her to wave it off. This time, Daryl knew he had to do something, something that would hurt him, to make this all stop. Carol was the only woman he could see himself marrying, but he couldn't do it knowing that she may never love him or that she was hiding something painful from him. Daryl had his own secrets about his past, things that he didn't like to think about, but he would tell Carol when she was comfortable enough to know. Once they got married, he didn't want there to be any secret between them.

"I'll tell you, Daryl." Carol's soft voice, raspy from her tears, broke Daryl out of his reverie. "Please don't leave." That's when he realized that he hadn't given any sign that he wasn't going to walk out that door. He had been so deep in his thoughts; he hadn't even noticed that Carol's grip on his arm had tightened. In fact, he was sure that her nails were digging permanent crescent moon shapes in his flesh.

"I ain't leavin'." Carol sagged in relief, but when Daryl lifted a hand towards her face, she tensed and flinched away. This time, she didn't even try to babble out any excuses for the reaction. "I ain't goin' to hurt you. I would _never_ hurt you. Ever." Carol let him cup her cheek, then, and even leaned in to his touch when he stroked the soft skin with his thumb.

"I know, Daryl" She sniffled. "God, _I know_. But, sometimes, I just can't help it."

"Was it your parents?" He asked. "Are they the reasons why you flinch whenever a hand is raised? Cuz I can understand that..." Daryl lowered his head; memories of his pa raising a hand to him flitted in the past. His first beating had occurred when he was eight and Merle had been out with some friends. Things had gotten worse from there.

"N-No. My parents loved me. They would never hurt me."

"Let's get comfortable before we have this talk." He wrapped an arm around her back and began to lead them to the living room. He waited for Carol to take a seat on the couch, before he took one near her.

"I was married before." Carol didn't take a moment to settle in before she started to speak. "His name was Ed."

"Did he...hit you?"

She nodded and wiped away a stray tear before it could slide down her face. "We were married for a year and a half. We were only married three months when he hit me for the first time. It wasn't long after that I quit school and stayed in the house most of the time. He cut me off from all of my friends and made sure I was alone in the world."

Daryl's fist clenched in anger as Carol told him about the son of a bitch who had thought he could hit _his_ woman. At the time, Carol had not been his, but now that she was, he was not going to tolerate any prick ever putting his hands on her.

"One day, I finally left him and lived with a friend, Michonne and then, later, a cousin, until the divorce was finalized. I've been nine mouths without him." She gave him a weak smile.

"Have you seen him recently? Is that why you've been so upset?"

Carol tensed slightly and if Daryl hadn't had his eyes glued to her, he wouldn't have noticed. "No. Thank God. T-The nightmare I had earlier had him in it. I've-I've been having a lot with him lately and they've been making me a little jumpy."

"Why hide all of this from me?"

Carol shrugged. "I didn't think you would want anything to do with me if you knew. Never in my life have I felt more loved than I do with you and I didn't want to lose that feeling."

"You don't love me, though?" Daryl had to ask, even though he knew the answer. But now that he knew the reason behind the way Carol acted, maybe he would be able to change that and to let Carol know that it was all right to open her heart to a man, again.

"I-I don't b-but I will!" She grabbed his arm, almost as if she were afraid that he would run away. "I just need some time, though, but I know I'm getting there." Daryl felt his heart beat a little faster. "I care for you, Daryl. I care for you so much and I just know that soon it will turn into love." He couldn't help but smile widely. Those were the exact words he wanted to here.

"I don't want to wait a month to get married, anymore, Daryl." Carol snagged her bottom lip between her teeth. "Waking up in the middle of the night with you snuggled next to me, made me feel safe and wanted. I haven't felt that way in a _long_ time and I don't want to go another night without you there."

"Are you sayin' you want to get married today?" He felt like his eyes were about to bug out of his skull.

"No, but I want to get married as soon as possible. M-Maybe in two weeks...or even less? I still need to get you a ring," she said, softly. Two weeks sounded pretty damn good to Daryl, but he allowed the rational side of his brain to take over.

"What about your family? Won't they find it odd that you're getting married in two weeks? I haven't even met your parents."

"They're both dead and I was an only child. I have no other family, besides my cousin and she would probably be too busy to attend, anyway. What about you?"

"Naw. My only family is in jail and won't be out for at least two years and there's no way in hell I'm goin' to wait that long to marry you." Carol beamed at his words and despite the heavy subject matter they had discussed only moments before, she looked genuinely happy and Daryl knew that was a good sign.

"So...two weeks?" Carol asked tentatively with wide blue eyes searching his. Daryl leaned forward and kissed her sweetly on the mouth.

"Two weeks it is and I can't fuckin' wait."

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><p><strong>I know you all were probably expecting a longer chapter with everything that happened in the last one, but as you can see, Carol kind of scratched the surface when she talked about Ed and even lied to Daryl a bit, too. In the next chapter, it will be in her POV and you will see why. So please be a bit patient with our favorite lady. She has a lot going on and in the end, she doesn't want Daryl to get hurt!<strong>

**Thanks for the reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry this took so long. I just haven't felt like writing and I'm pretty sure its because my writing buddy has lost internet for a few weeks, and won't be able to talk to me for awhile. :( **

**But how about that episode on Sunday?! I would love to talk with some of you about it, if you want. I'm just bursting with feels and I keep seeing gifs of it on tumblr, and I have yet to recover from it all, yet! So, if you want to talk or gush about that amazing episode(which is probably my favorite of the whole series), I would love to hear from you all!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

Ed remained in the back of Carol's mind for the rest of the day, despite her attempts to fling them away. Most of the reason why the vile man still lingered was because Carol felt guilty. Daryl had given her the perfect opportunity to confess all and yet, she chose to keep some things to herself. Important things. She forced herself to believe that she had done the right thing. She told herself that if Daryl were to know the length Ed was willing to go to get her back, then he would realize how in over his head he was and how fucked she was, and he would run.

It wasn't just about protecting her, anymore. Carol wouldn't have been able to bear his leaving because she _had_ come to care for Daryl, and she hadn't been lying when she said that she knew it would turn into love soon, if it hadn't already. She was just being cautious, though. The last time she had fallen in love quickly with a man, he had hurt her physically and mentally.

"What did you want to do today?" Daryl's voice came from her right. They had been sitting in silence on the couch for about an hour after her confession. Both of them were still wearing the same clothes they had fallen asleep in the night before, and Carol didn't feel like moving.

"C-Can we just stay here all day?" She didn't mean just on the couch, she didn't think she had the strength to leave the house and face other people. "I don't feel like doing anything." Curling her legs underneath her, she leaned towards Daryl and felt exhausted. The confession earlier had drained her.

Daryl moved until their arms brushed and moved to wrap one of his around her shoulders to pull her body closer. Carol sunk into his warmth. "We can stay here all day. I don't mind. As long as I have you for company, then I'm all right." He tugged her even closer and smiled. Tears misted in Carol's eyes at how safe she felt in his arms.

* * *

><p>Daryl awoke with a jerk when he felt Carol shift beneath him. Together they had fallen asleep on the couch. Carol had curled into his side and Daryl had placed his cheek on top of her head. Now, it looked like Carol was waking up and when she did, she pulled away from him slightly.<p>

"Hi." Stretching, she gave him a large smile. This time the sadness from earlier wasn't present in her eyes and Daryl felt his chest swell with happiness. It looked like they were getting somewhere, now.

"Hey."

"You hungry? I bet it's time for lunch." She stood from the couch and smoothed down her shirt, but not before Daryl got a glimpse of the pale skin of her abdomen.

"I could eat." Just at that moment his stomach rumbled. Carol laughed as his face flushed.

"I'll be right back with some food."

Daryl stood. "Do you need help?" He didn't care that he sounded eager.

"No. I'm just going to whip together a couple sandwiches. Thank you, though." Carol had smiled even wider at Daryl's offer and Daryl couldn't help but wonder if Ed ever asked to help or had he just forced her to everything around the house. However that wasn't a question he was going to ask. The less Ed was brought up, the less Carol would ever have to think about him.

Daryl sat on the couch and leaned his head on the back. He'd have to go home tonight. Tomorrow morning, he had an early start at work and he _really_ needed a shower. It was shocking that Carol could stand to still be around him. But he didn't want to leave her here. Not that he was scared for her safety or anything, but because he didn't like to spend so much time away. It sounded a little...creepy to him and he hoped that Carol didn't think that of him. So, he would give her space. Maybe he would wait until Monday to see her, again. One day was a long enough break. Right?

Fuck. Just thinking about going a day without seeing her beautiful face caused his heart to sink. Shit, he had it _so_ bad, and he sounded like a complete lovesick, sap. Merle would kick his ass if he were there. But Daryl didn't care. It was _because_ of Merle not being there, that Daryl was finally able to act like to this. He was finally able to fall in love with someone and he was glad that it had been Carol.

"Daryl? Do you want some sweet tea to drink?" The sound of her voice nearly caused him to jump off the couch. He hadn't even heard her walk into the room.

"Uh, sure. That sounds good."

"Okay. I finished lunch, and I'll be right back." Daryl didn't say anything as he heard her leave the room. A few minutes later, she was back and handing him a plate with a sandwich and a glass filled with tea. Together, they ate in silence.

* * *

><p>"I'd like to buy you a ring." Carol had just returned from taking their empty dishes to the sink. Daryl jerked his head to look at her, surprise written all over his face.<p>

"You don't have to do that," he said.

"You got me one...and I want to make it official, you know?" Her thumb ran absently over the ring on her left hand. The weight of it had worn off, and now, she didn't even notice it, anymore.

"All right." Daryl slowly nodded, a hint of a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. He looked pleased. "We can get one. When did you want to go?"

She shrugged. "Whenever you're free. I want you to have a ring so all them pretty girls you probably see will know you're taken." Carol teased.

Daryl stood and walked until he stood right in front of her. "You're the only pretty girl I ever see and I can't _wait_ to let everyone know I'm taken." He leaned down and claimed her mouth in his. Carol moaned and clutched him tighter, arms wrapping around his back. Daryl tensed under her touch, but quickly relaxed.

"God, I love you. So much." He whispered in her ear before catching her lips, again. Carol was the one to break the kiss first, and it was to grab his hand and lead him back to the couch. She pushed him to sit down and then, straddled his hips. Daryl took a sharp breath and his hands were like vices on her hips.

"Carol...?"

Carol bit her lip, suddenly unsure. "Is this okay?"

"God, yes."

"Good." Carol gripped his head to pull him closer and they resumed kissing. She could almost physically feel the wall built around her heart slowly start to chip away.

* * *

><p>They kissed for what seemed like hours, and when they finally pulled apart, their lips were red and swollen. Daryl wanted to do more with this woman. Wanted to be with her in every way possible, and in a short amount of time, he would be able to.<p>

Carol slid from his lap and he felt the loss immediately. She fixed her hair from when his hands had run through it. His own hair probably didn't look much better.

"I think we should talk about what we're going to do after we get married," Carol said after several minutes, both of them had been trying to catch her breath.

_ I'll_ _finally be able to make love to you_ was the first thing to come to Daryl's mind, even though he knew that wasn't what Carol had been talking about. Had it?

"Will-Will you want to stay here? Or do you want me to come live with you?"

"My house is a piece of shit compared to yours," he said. "We could live here. I would hate to take you away from the home you finally found your freedom in." Daryl watched as her eyes filled with tears, but he knew they weren't sad ones.

"Okay." She smiled. "M-Maybe over the week you can start bringing of your stuff over...or is that too soon? I mean, we could do it together after the wedding if you wa-"

Daryl gently placed a finger to her lips. "I'll start bringing stuff over. I'm looking forward to it, actually. It makes all _this_," he took her left hand and ran a thumb over her ring. "Seem more real."

"Will you miss your house when you stay here?"

"Naw," he shrugged. "It was just a roof over my head. Merle can have it when he gets out of jail."

Carol took his hand in hers. "You don't talk about your brother much."

"Ain't much to tell. He's in jail because he's a dumbass." Merle wasn't someone he thought Carol would like very much, most people didn't. He was loud, obnoxious and rude when he was sober, and a hundred times worse when he wasn't.

"Do you visit him much?"

"Not really. I'm due for one, though. Haven't seen him in a few months." The last time he had been there, Merle had made him so angry that Daryl had cut the visit short. His brother always talked about the same thing. Getting high, fucking women and getting into fights. It got old.

"Can I come the next time you go?"

Daryl was shocked. "You'd really want to go?"

"Well, he is going to be my brother-in-law real soon and I'd like to meet him." She offered him a smile.

"Okay," he agreed. Merle was probably going to die of shock when Daryl announced that he was married and that Carol was his wife the next time he visited, and for some reason, that excited Daryl. To announce that Carol was his wife.

"I doubt you'll like him," he added.

"He's your family." She smirked. "I'm going to have to learn to like him. Right?"

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! :)<strong>


	14. Chapter 14

**This is kind of a filler chapter, in my opinion anyway, but I hope you all enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen<strong>

Staying cooped in the dimly lit living room had quickly lost its appeal after they finished their lunch, especially since it was so nice outside. Daryl soon found himself lying on his back on the grass of Carol's backyard, while Carol worked in her garden. Kneeling in the dirt, still in her pajamas, Carol didn't seem to mind the dirt stains settling on the knees of her pants. Daryl leaned up on one elbow and watched as she dug her hands into the soft soil, a tranquil look on her face. Carol looked calmer than Daryl had ever seen, and he had to wonder if she used the garden as a type of therapy for the turmoil in her life. It would explain why everything was seeming to flourish in the small patch of dirt. Many of the flowers still had their vibrant and bright colors, despite how late in the season it was. Daryl's mouth watered at the smell of the mint plant. It reminded him of when he was younger and when his mother had grown mint in her window box by the kitchen. The male Dixons had let it die and wither away when she had passed.

"You know, I was sitting right here when I first heard you yell." Carol rocked back to her heels with dirt-covered hands in her lap, and looked over at him.

His hands plucked at some blades of grass. "Yeah?" That day had seemed so long ago, even though it had only been a few days. With everything that had happened with Carol, the constant twinging pain in his side had always been pushed to the back of his mind and forgotten. Even now, it was just a dull throb.

"I didn't know what to do, at first. I actually thought about bolting into the house and locking all the doors." She laughed softly at the memory. "For all I knew, you could have been getting murdered out there, and they would be coming for me next!" She wiped a strand of curly hair from her face using her wrist. "But then, I figured you needed help, so I ran inside, grabbed my gun and-"

"Whoa, wait." Daryl sat up and gave her a wide-eyed look. "You were packin'?"

"Yeah, I bought a gun after I left Ed. Luckily I've never had to use it, and I hope to keep it that way."

"But you were ready to use it on me," Daryl teased, hoping that the sad look on her face at the mention of Ed would go away.

"If you had been planning on hurting me, I would have. That's why I bought it. If Ed ever-" She choked up.

"Hey." Daryl stood and joined her in the dirt. "You don't gotta say anymore. I understand, and I'm here to tell you that you ain't goin' to need that gun, cuz I'm goin' to protect you." He tugged her on his lap and she tucked her head into his shoulder. The tears had been blinked back, and now, she just clutched him tight. "Ain't nothin' goin' to hurt you as long as I'm here."

Together, they sat like that for several minutes in the dirt. Daryl didn't want to let her go, and it seemed Carol didn't want to be let go.

"So," Daryl broke the silence and shifted so that his cheek settled on her head. "Do you think next year we can grow some vegetables, here?"

Carol looked up at him, smiling. "This garden will be just as much mine as yours next year, so you'll be able to do whatever you want."

In a year's time, hell in less than two weeks, they would be married and living together in Carol's home, which would then be theirs. Daryl couldn't help but wonder what things would be like in a year. Would Carol love him? Would she pregnant with his child? Fuck. He didn't know where that thought had come from, but he didn't regret it. Would they have a child this time next year? Or would they decide to wait a bit? Either way, Daryl would support whatever Carol decided.

Would Carol even _want_ children? From her marriage with Ed, she had none and probably thought that a blessing. How about now, with him? Daryl knew their children would be beautiful. Especially if they inherited Carol's large, pale blue eyes and delicate features. A girl would be spoiled by him and a boy would learn to hunt.

"What are you thinking about, Daryl?" Carol's soft voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Chil-, uh, carrots." He winced at the lame cover-up, but he didn't know how Carol would react if he were to bring up children, right now. That would be a conversation he would save for later. Like, after they were married.

Carol settled back into his chest and got comfortable, again. "By the look on your face, I can tell you really want some carrots." Even through his shirt, Daryl felt the corners of Carol's mouth lift up in a wide smile. It didn't seem like she had noticed his almost slip-up and for that, he was grateful.

"Yeah..."

* * *

><p>"I really need to pee." Carol blushed as the words burst from her mouth during another bout of silence between the pair. Daryl chuckled, his chest rumbled with the sound, and loosened his hold on her body. In the time they had sat unmoving, Carol's limbs had fallen asleep and when she stood, she stumbled slightly. Luckily, Daryl had anticipated the almost fall and was there to catch her before she fell back on her ass.<p>

"Looks like these pajama pants are goin' to need a good washin'." Daryl leaned down to swipe away some of the dirt caked to her knees, even though he swiped away most of the dirt, her knees were still covered in dark splatches. Looking at his pants, she saw that they hadn't fared any better than hers had.

"Your pants don't look much better. Let's get inside, and after I go to the bathroom, I can throw them in the wash for you." Her face flushed when the image of a pant less Daryl flitted across her mind. In two weeks, though, she'd see all of him. Every inch of this wonderful man would be bare to her.

"I see that your mind went to the gutter." Daryl was smirking. "You're red as a tomato."

"It did not!" She argued, weakly, not even convincing herself. "And you didn't answer my question, Mr. Dixon. Do you want me to wash your pants?"

"As much as I would love for you to do my laundry, soon-to-be Mrs. Dixon." He winked. "I should be heading home. It's late, I smell, and I have work in the mornin'." Carol deflated at his words. She wasn't ready for him to leave, yet. She didn't think she'd ever be ready.

"You have to work on a Sunday?"

"Yep. My boss keeps us open every day of the week. Most places are closed on Sundays, so we get a lot of business. It's good money, so I can't complain." He slipped an arm around her waist, and together they walked into the house. Carol made a beeline for the bathroom, and Daryl went to sit in the kitchen.

"You don't _have_ to leave, you know. You can always get some stuff and stay the night, again." Carol bit her lip as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I wouldn't mind."

"I think I should give you some space." Daryl said with a smile. "Pretty soon, you won't be able to get rid of me." He leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the mouth. Carol returned the kiss by burying her hands in his hair and deepening it.

"You keep kissin' me like that and I'll never want to leave." Daryl was the one to break the kiss, but Carol felt his hesitation and it made her heart swell, knowing this man liked kissing her that much that he was reluctant to let her go.

"Maybe that was the point," she teased and kissed him quickly on the nose. "So, when will I see you, again?"

"I was thinkin' maybe Monday I could, um, start bringin' over some of my stuff. That all right? If it ain't, then I can always bring it over aft-"

"Of course it's all right!" She stopped his rambling with a giggle. "What kind of stuff were you thinking about bringing?"

"Some clothes? That's about all I have that's worth bringin' over here, actually." He shrugged and bit at his thumb. Carol wondered if he always did that when he felt nervous. She found it enduring.

"Okay, I'll clear out some of my dresser's for you." She blushed at the thought of what sharing drawer space meant. This was all becoming so real.

"A-All right. Sounds good." He shoved his hands into his pockets, most likely to stop himself from gnawing more on the skin of his thumb. Shifting somewhat nervously, he said, "I should go, then. I'll see you, Monday."

"Wait, before you go." Carol rushed to one of the drawers in her kitchen and grabbed something from one of them. "Here." She pressed something small into his hands. It was a key. "Just in case you come over and I'm not here. You'll need one, eventually, anyways."

Daryl stared down at the key, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "So does this mean I can come over in the middle of night and eat all your leftovers in the fridge?" Carol nearly burst out laughing at his words. For some reason, she hadn't expected him to say something like that.

"Sure, but just remember I have a gun and if I think you're an intruder, I may use it."

"I've already been shot before, by my own crossbow, and I would not like a repeat." He tucked the key into one of his front pockets. "I'll make sure to let you know before I come over for a little midnight snack." Winking, he tugged her closer and kissed her once more. "Now, I really need to go. Quit stallin' me."

Carol crossed her arms and stuck out her lower lip in a pout. She wasn't used to acting like this, but she liked it. She liked that she could tease a man without fear of him getting angry or hitting her. Daryl was such a welcome change in her life.

"I love you, Carol. See you soon." Daryl didn't want around to see if she would say the words back. Carol knew she couldn't, not yet. But she would. Soon. The way her heart beat faster in his presence was proof enough that once she let Ed and everything else plaguing her go, she would fall helplessly in love with Daryl and there would be no turning back.

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><p><strong>Last night while in the shower, I kind of outlined the rest of this story, and there will be angst. Ed's still out there, so you all had to figure there would be. But don't worry this story will have a happy ending!<strong>

**I also want to thank everyone for sticking with this story this far, it really means a lot to me, since this is the story that I enjoy writing the most right now!**

**Thanks for reading and if I don't get anything else this weekend, I hope you all have a lovely Thanksgiving(if you celebrate it!)!**

**Oh, and happy birthday, Robyn! I know I already said it two times already, but the third time is the charm! ;)**


	15. Chapter 15

**I just want to apologize for the wait. These past few weeks have been rough! Just two more weeks, and then I am off for winter break! :) I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen<strong>

Carol hated the loneliness that settled over her as she lay in her bed later that night. Daryl had only spent the night there once, and already she was feeling his absence like a stabbing pain in her heart. Fear also attributed to the feeling. Ed had been spotted nearby, and now, he knew that she was around the area somewhere. He wouldn't leave, or stop in his search, until she was found. A shudder coursed through Carol's body. If Daryl were there, she would have clung to him, would have intertwined their legs to ensure that he was really there. Daryl would like her nearness; Carol couldn't help but smile at that. She knew Daryl would like having her so near, and would probably pull her so close that there would be no space between their bodies.

_ Daryl _loves_ me._ The thought would run through her mind at any hour and never failed to calm her down. Daryl _loved_ her, even though she had given him reasons not to. It was going to take Carol awhile to get use to the fact that this man was in it for the long haul. She grew giddy just thinking about how they would grow old together. That was all she had ever wanted in a marriage; knowing that you would be spending the rest of your life with someone that made you happy. Ed had crushed that during the first few months of their marriage. The first time he had hit her, all dreams of having children with him disappeared. There was no way she would ever bring a child into that kind of relationship. But maybe with Daryl...

Even in the dark, Carol knew that her face had to be beet red. For them to have children, it would mean they would have to have...

"What do you think is going to happen on your wedding night, silly?" She said to the dark room. The thought of being with Daryl in the most intimate of ways caused her stomach to flutter with butterflies of nervousness...and excitement.

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><p>Daryl's small, twin bed seemed even smaller as he lay down for the night. The moment he had walked into his home, a few hours earlier, he had regretted leaving Carol. She had wanted him to stay another night, and he should have taken advantage. But work was early in the morning, and Daryl knew if he were to wake up with Carol glued to his side and snoring softly in his ear, like she had that morning, then he would never want to leave the bed. That was something he would have to get use to, however, when they finally tied the know.<p>

Thinking of his impending marriage, Daryl was reminded that he would have to call off work soon. He wasn't sure if Carol wanted a honeymoon, or where they would even go if they had one, but their was no fucking way he was going to go back to work so soon after marrying the woman he loved. But he wasn't looking forward to telling his boss. Daryl never called off work for any reason, and he was sure he'd have to give one, now. Then, it would be all over the garage in minutes.

Groaning, he placed his forearm over his eyes. He was not looking forward to the shit he was going to get from the men he worked with. They were all a rough bunch, and as far as Daryl knew, only two of them were married. However, the only thing worse than getting shit from them was getting shit from Merle. But Daryl knew that he didn't _have _to tell Merle about his marrying Carol. He could leave it out every time he visited and make his brother figure it out once he was out of jail.

Daryl smiled. _Yeah, that's what I'll do._ He was almost looking forward to when Merle returned to their house and saw that Daryl no longer lived there, and instead, was with Carol. He could just imagine the look on his older brother's face and laughed. In two year's time, Merle was going to be in for a mighty surprise.

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><p>Carol had always enjoyed her lazy days. Well, most days were lazy days for her. Too afraid to go out and get a job, or to finish working on her degree, Carol had been living off the hefty amount of money her parents had left when they died. Luckily, she had never spoken about it with Ed; otherwise he would have found a way to get his greedy hands on it. But the money was not going to last forever, and she knew that she needed to find a job soon. She couldn't rely on Daryl to support the two of them. He was already doing her a favor with marrying her, and giving her protection (even though he didn't know about it), and it didn't feel right to expect more from him.<p>

Carol had always dreamt about having a classroom of her own, filled with students that were eager to learn. If only she had been stronger, and hadn't let Ed manipulate her into quitting school and ending her dream. She would have been able to fulfill her wish of becoming a teacher. But as much as she wished to blame Ed for all it, Carol knew it was all her fault. She should have seen the way Ed was before she had agreed to marry him.

_ Ding!_

A cold knot of fear formed in Carol's stomach when she heard the familiar and horrifying sound of her phone going off in the kitchen. _Please be Daryl,_ she silently begged as she made her way to where her phone rested on one of the counters. _Please just be Daryl texting to tell me to have a good day._ Carol continued to plead in her mind, even though Daryl had never texted her before. With shaky hands, she picked up the phone and turned it on to read the message.

_ I hope you have been thinking about me, my dear, since you saw me at the restaurant. Some day very soon, I will find you. I can feel it. Does that make you happy?_

Carol nearly dropped the phone back on the counter, not wanting to see the words on her phone, anymore. Ed was sounding more and more...unstrung with every new text he sent her. Was the man losing his mind looking for her? This scared Carol even more. Her ex-husband had never been predictable during their marriage. One day he would come home, paying her compliments and on the next day, he would come home spitting mad and blaming her for every bad thing he could think of. Now, he was even more unpredictable. There was no telling what he would if he ever found her.

Carol needed to do something that would get her mind off Ed and the increasingly creepy texts he kept sending to her phone. The garden didn't need weeding, though, and that was normally who go to place to calm her nerves. The house was spotless and the cupboards were full, so there was no need to go grocery shopping. But there was one thing she could do.

Daryl still needed a ring.

However, she didn't know his finger size. _I could ask him_, she thought. _Or...I can be sneaky about it so he doesn't suspect what I'm doing._ A smile spread across her face. Carol remembered Daryl telling her where he worked, and now, she planned on giving him a visit. Grabbing her keys from further down on the counter, she slipped on some shoes and walked out the door... only to walk right back only minutes later.

She was still in her pajamas.

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><p>"Yo, Dixon, there's someone here to see you!" Daryl bumped his head on the hood of the car he was working on when Jim yelled his name. Wincing, he rubbed the back of his head and checked to see if there was any blood. Luckily, there wasn't.<p>

"Be right there!" He called back, not knowing who would be there to visit him. Merle was in jail and Carol was probably relaxing at home.

Approaching where Jim stood, he noticed the smirk on the other man's face. "It's a lady," he said.

_ Carol?_ Quickly, he rubbed his oily hands on his jeans. Fuck, he probably looked a mess.

"Pretty little thing, too, with them blue eyes."

_ Definitely_ Carol, but what was she doing here?

"She your girl?"

"Uh, yeah, you can say that." His mind was distracted as he brushed by Jim and walked into the front part of the garage where they received their customers. Carol was sitting in one of the chairs and when she saw him, stood and smiled.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hey." It was weird seeing her at his place of work, but weird in a good way. In his head, he could picture her visiting him during his lunch break and eating with him, or waiting until he got off his shift so they could do something together.

"I hope you don't mind me being here." Carol fidgeted with the purse slung on her shoulder and tentatively looked at him.

"Don't mind at all. But is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I just came to ask a question."

Daryl blinked in confusion. The question must have been important if she had to visit him at work to ask. "Go ahead."

"Which do you like better? Gold or silver?"

This even confused him more. "Uh, silver."

"Okay!" Carol gave him a wide smile. "That's all I needed to know. I'll see you later!" She turned to leave, but stopped. "Shoot. Almost forgot." Turning back to him, she held out her hand. "Can I see your left hand for a moment?"

"Uh, sure." Daryl presented his left hand to her and winced when he saw that he had not been successful in removing all of the oil stains. However, Carol didn't seem bothered by them and grasped his much larger hand in hers. He watched as she deftly slipped a loop of string on his left finger, tightened it and pulled it back off; making sure the loop remained intact.

"Okay, _now_, that's it." Carol safely tucked the loop in one of the pockets of her purse before turning back to him. Going up on tip toes, she pecked him on the mouth, this time giving him a kiss before turning to leave. "I'll see you later." And she was gone, leaving a very confused Daryl behind.

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><p>The jeweler was very eager to help Carol when she walked into the only jewelry store in town, and if he thought it odd that she had brought a string as a way of figuring out Daryl's ring size, he didn't let it show. For being small, the store had a wide variety of male wedding bands and Carol's eyes widened at the several silver bands she saw.<p>

"Describe your fiancé to me, miss." The older gentleman leaned his elbows on the display case and looked down at the glittering bands in front of Carol.

"Um, well." Describe Daryl? They had only known one another for a week. Could she do this? "Daryl is very...simple." Was that the right word? "Practical, too. He seems rough, but very soft around the edges." She peered at the man. "Is that what you meant?"

The man smiled. "That was perfect, my dear." Stepping back, he opened one of the cases and plucked a band out. "I think this may be perfect." The band was black and silver and Carol could instantly see Daryl wearing it. The design was simple, but not too simple that it was boring.

"I-I think I'll get that one." The other bands in the display case did not appeal to her, anymore. Was it fate that she would find the perfect ring on the first try?

"Are you sure? I don't want you to think that you have to get it because I suggested it." Unlike many other jeweler's Carol had encountered this man didn't seem set on making a purchase; he generally wanted her to like the ring before committing to buy it.

"I love it."

"All right, and you're just in luck. This is the size that your man is. So, I'll go make it shine even more and then, I'll ring you up, dear."

"Okay." Carol's hands shook as she reached for her wallet. It was going to take everything in her to not go back to the garage and hand him the ring right there.

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><p><strong>Since I SUCK at describing rings and stuff, here's a pic of Daryl's ring. www. romantissimo elegant- black- tungsten- wedding-bands. html black-and-silver-tungsten-wedding-bands**

**Thanks for reading!**


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